Sites for two new large nuclear power plants were chosen as Yeongdeok County in North Gyeongsang Province, and the site for one small modular reactor (SMR) was selected as Gijang County in Busan. Ulju County in Ulsan, which applied for a large plant site, and Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province, which proposed itself as an SMR candidate site, were passed over.
The New Nuclear Power Plant Site Selection Evaluation Committee (hereafter the Evaluation Committee, Chairperson Son Yang-hoon) said on the 17th that Yeongdeok County was selected as the candidate site for a large reactor and Gijang County for an SMR, for new nuclear construction reflected in the 11th Basic Plan for Long-term Electricity Supply and Demand.
According to the Evaluation Committee's site assessment, Yeongdeok County in North Gyeongsang Province, which applied for a large reactor, scored 91.01 points, while Ulju County in Ulsan scored 82.63. Gijang County in Busan, which applied for an SMR, scored 87.11 points, and Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province scored 84.56. Based on this, priority was set by reactor type, and the top-ranked areas were selected as candidate sites.
Yeongdeok County received high marks for public acceptance, including public opinion surveys (within/outside 5 km), and in site suitability and environmental criteria. Gijang County was chosen as a candidate site after receiving stronger evaluations than competing areas in public acceptance, including public opinion surveys (within/outside 5 km), and in site suitability.
Earlier, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) provided guidance on the site selection process in March last year after the 11th basic plan was finalized in Feb. 2025. Accordingly, in April last year, the Evaluation Committee was formed with external experts in policy and humanities, environment, nuclear power, and geology and earthquakes to ensure an objective and fair evaluation. After that, the committee independently handled criteria setting and reviews throughout the process.
KHNP in January announced a plan for a "public contest to attract candidate sites for new nuclear power plant construction" to local governments nationwide and conducted the application process for two months. On Mar. 30, when applications to host new plants closed, two regions applied for large reactors: Ulju County in Ulsan and Yeongdeok County in North Gyeongsang Province. Two regions applied for SMRs: Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang Province and Gijang County in Busan.
After the contest closed, the Evaluation Committee conducted baseline site and environmental surveys on the applicant sites (April–May), on-site inspections (May), and public opinion surveys (June). The committee said that, based on the data collected and the site evaluation criteria, Yeongdeok County was selected as the candidate site for a large reactor and Gijang County for an SMR.
The Evaluation Committee said, "Stable power supply is essential to securing national competitiveness and for future generations," and added, "Our committee sought the optimal location with top priority on the role of baseload power to support the industrial ecosystem and on mutual growth with local communities."
The Evaluation Committee added, "We deeply thank all local governments and residents who showed strong enthusiasm to host the projects, and we express our regret to the regions that were not selected." It also urged KHNP, saying, "We ask that residents' views identified in the opinion survey—such as reasons for supporting or opposing nuclear plant construction and suggested improvements—be used well when devising future cooperation plans with the regions."