Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page A8

June 20, 2017

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » World

Seoul vows ‘no more nuclear reactors’

Source: AFP | 00:01 UTC+8 June 20, 2017 | Print Edition

SOUTH Korea’s president vowed yesterday to scrap all plans to build nuclear reactors as he seeks to steer Asia’s fourth-largest economy clear of atomic power.

Moon Jae-in, who swept to power with a landslide election win last month, campaigned on promises to phase out atomic energy and embrace what he says are safer and more environmentally friendly power sources including solar and wind power.

The Fukushima nuclear meltdown in Japan sparked by a powerful earthquake in 2011 sparked widespread public concern in neighboring South Korea over its own aged atomic plants.

“We will dump our atomic-centric power supply and open the door to the post-nuclear era,” Moon said in a speech marking the decommissioning of the country’s first nuclear reactor, the Kori-1.

“I will scrap all preparations to build new reactors currently under way and will not extend lifespan of current reactors,” he said.

Many reactors are located close to residential areas in the densely populated nation, Moon said, warning of “unimaginable consequences” in case of a nuclear meltdown.

“South Korea is not safe from the risk of earthquake, and a nuclear accident caused by a quake can have such a devastating impact,” he said.

South Korea currently operates 25 nuclear reactors, which generate about 30 percent of the country’s power supply. Many of them will see their life spans expire between 2020 to 2030, with decisions on whether to extend some of their operations set to be made during Moon’s 2017-2022 term.

World


 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend