The Munjeongbu government seems to postpone the final decision of’Shin Hanul Unit 3 and 4 Baek Jihwa’ to the next government

Input 2021.02.03 06:00

Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4, if construction plan approval is not received by the 26th
Ministry of Industry, after extending the license period by two years, seems to postpone the next period

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy is expected to extend the approval period for the construction plan of Shinhanul nuclear power plant units 3 and 4 by two years. After deciding to extend the period, it is weighed in the observation that whether the actual construction begins or whether the project is canceled will be transferred to the next regime.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power received a permit for the power generation project of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 in February 2017, but due to the government’s policy of leaving nuclear power plants, the construction plan was not approved. Under the Electricity Business Act, if a power generation project permit is obtained and a construction plan approval is not obtained within four years without a justifiable reason, the power generation project permission is canceled until the 26th of this month.

Shinhanul Units 3 and 4, which have cost about 779 billion won so far, are the last nuclear power plants planned to be built in Korea and will be canceled if the construction plan is not approved by the 26th of this month. It appears that the Ministry of Industry has reviewed how to use Shinhanul Units 3 and 4 to support North Korean nuclear power plants, and even if the government extends the approval period for the construction plan, controversy over Shinhanul Units 3 and 4 will continue.

According to the Ministry of Industry on the 3rd, KHNP submitted an application to the Ministry of Industry, requesting an extension of the approval period for the construction plan of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 to the end of 2023 last month. The Ministry of Industry decides whether to extend the construction plan approval period until the 26th. Shinhanul Units 3 and 4 were scheduled to be completed in order in 2022 and at the end of 2023 after receiving permission for power generation projects from the government in February 2017.

An official from the Ministry of Industry said, “We are reviewing the law whether it is appropriate to extend the power generation business license period under the Electricity Business Act,” and said, “The reason why KHNP could not start the construction of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 is justified.” Said.

If the Shinhanul 3 and 4 business license is cancelled, KHNP cannot obtain a new power generation business license for the next two years. Acquisition of business change permits for nuclear power plants currently under construction is also blocked. KHNP is currently pursuing various new and renewable projects in addition to nuclear power plants such as solar and wind power.

The industry sees that the Ministry of Industry has a high possibility of extending the construction plan approval period. The reason KHNP stopped the construction of Shinhanul Units 3 and 4 was due to the Moon Jae-in government’s’post-nuclear power policy’, and the legal basis for not extending the period is poor.

Even if the Ministry of Industry extends the approval period for the construction plan by two years, KHNP cannot immediately begin construction of Shinhanul Units 3 and 4. The construction plan must be approved by the Ministry of Industry after a construction permit from the Nuclear Safety Committee and environmental evaluation by the Ministry of Environment. It is unlikely that the Moon Jae-in administration will complete this process within two years, unless the policy stance of the post-nuclear power plant changes. Accordingly, weight is placed on the observation that this time, the approval period for the construction plan will be extended by two years and the final decision will be passed on to the next government.

From the standpoint of the Moon Jae-in administration, Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 were’hot potatoes’ that could neither do this nor do that. This is because if the construction is permitted, it faces criticism of’retreat from nuclear power plant’, and if canceled, it is possible to face a post-storm like Wolseong Unit 1, which raised suspicion of manipulating economic feasibility evaluation after deciding to close it early. KHNP has already spent more than 700 billion won on purchasing land and pre-production of main equipment (nuclear reactors, steam generators, and turbine generators) to construct Shinhanul 3 and 4 units. Periodic Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction (034020)This is in charge of completing the production.

It has been confirmed in 2018 that the Ministry of Industry reviewed a plan in 2018 to utilize the already manufactured Shinhanul 3 and 4 main units for power support to North Korea. According to the’Plan to Promote the Construction of Nuclear Power Plants in North Korea’ released by the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Industry, North Korea, plans to build APR1400, which was made for Shinhanul 3 and 4 units, in the Geumho district of South Hamgyeong Province, and after constructing Shinhanul 3 and 4 in South Korea They reviewed plans for transmission to North Korea.

The Ministry of Industry seems to have been struggling to avoid the controversy with the retreat of nuclear power plants and the post-storm caused by the cancellation of construction by using Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 for power support to North Korea. An official from the Ministry of Industry said, “Because of the recycling problem of the already manufactured main equipment, we reviewed (support for nuclear power plants in North Korea using Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4),” and said, “It is not a matter of policy.”