August 15, 2014 With increasing domestic requirements and aspirations to become a global supplier of nuclear power technology, the Korean nuclear industry has been very active as of late in engaging with overseas uranium mining and enrichment projects. For instance, in 2010, KEPCO purchased a 10% stake in an AREVA uranium mine in Niger for

July 10, 2014 Prior to 2001, KEPCO was a vertically integrated state-owned enterprise involved in all stages of Korea’s electricity industry. Central planning essentially determined the fuel type, size, and location of all generation, in addition to long term plans for supply and demand. In 2001, the electricity sector was restructured, injecting competition into the

GABI and KAIST co-hosted an expert-level workshop on uranium enrichment on June 27th, focusing on opportunities for multilateral enrichment ventures and national perspectives on the front-end fuel cycle. The workshop featured presentations from three distinguished speakers: Seyed Hossein Mousavian, Associate Research Scholar at Princeton University and former Iranian Ambassador to Germany; Yun Zhou, Senior Consultant

The Potential Impact of the Shale Gas Revolution on Nuclear Development in Asia June 12, 2014 Shale gas has had a profound impact on the US energy landscape. The emergence of hydraulic fracturing technologies, the availability of large water resources, and the existence of an expansive natural gas pipeline infrastructure have unlocked vast domestic resources

With the Embassy of France in the United States and the US Nuclear Infrastructure Council, GABI hosted an expert-level workshop on "National and Local Perspectives on the Back End of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle." The event took place at the Embassy of France in Washington.  

May 16, 2014 The Republic of Korea’s most recent energy plan includes approximately one-third of all electricity generation from nuclear in ten years, which will require about a dozen further reactors constructed and completed by 2024. Given this plan and the country’s projected energy demand growth, Korea must maintain an aggressive domestic construction pace over

April 29, 2014 Combining advances in proton accelerator research and molten salt reactor concepts tested by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, accelerator driven subcritical reactors (ADSR) have the potential to enhance nuclear safety, waste management, and global nonproliferation. ADSR systems, such as GEM*STAR, hold a number of inherent safety features—subcritical operations, continuous removal of fission products,

April 10, 2014 Since the signing of the first nuclear cooperation agreement between the US and Korea in 1956, the US-ROK civil nuclear partnership has undergone significant evolution—although Korea was at first entirely dependent upon the US for nuclear power technology, it has now established a reputation as a world class nuclear supplier. Currently, 23

US Capabilities and Self-Sufficiency in the Front End March 26, 2014 In terms of the production of nuclear fuel, the US is self-sufficient only in fuel fabrication—US in situ recovery of uranium produces only a small percentage of uranium consumed in US reactors, US conversion capacity falls just short of satisfying domestic demand, and the

Developing and Financing NPPs: Thoughts on Reputational Risk January 31, 2014 The huge capital costs and long development/construction periods associated with nuclear power plant construction present significant challenges in the financing of such projects. Although return on investment will always be a fundamental concern for any financial institution, lenders for NPP projects will also necessarily