The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission will invest about 62.9 billion won in nuclear safety research and development (R&D) for 2026. The plan is to advance regulatory technology related to licensing for small modular reactors (SMRs) while also strengthening verification and standard-setting research across all areas of safety regulation.
The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said it held the 228th Nuclear Safety and Security Commission meeting on the 30th and reviewed and approved the "2026 nuclear safety research and development project plan (draft)." Next year's total investment will be 62.942 billion won, up 7.064 billion won (12.6%) from last year. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission plans to support eight continuing projects and two new projects.
The core of the investment direction is the SMR sector. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission will continue regulatory research on safety issues raised during the standard design approval process for the innovative small modular reactor (i-SMR), and will keep supporting the development of regulatory verification technology needed to commercialize light-water SMRs. In addition, it will push a new project to establish a licensing regulatory framework for non-light-water SMRs, which vary in design and purpose, and to secure safety verification capabilities. The budget related to SMRs is set at 22.46 billion won.
A total of 4.785 billion won will be invested in basic research to proactively respond to future regulatory demand. In addition, to strengthen verification and standard development research across the entire safety regulation field, it plans to invest 35.697 billion won in verification research and safety issue projects (six items, including continuing tasks for operating nuclear power plant safety regulation), including a new project in the nuclear control field.
The meeting also addressed equipment modifications for Kori Unit 2. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission reviewed and approved a draft operating change permit to newly install an air supply flow path in connection with the "multiple barriers accident management strategy (MACST)" equipment that Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) applied for to implement the Kori Unit 2 accident management plan. The measure would establish a flow path to supply compressed air using portable air compressors, among other equipment, so that the pressure relief valves of the pressurizer and steam generator can operate even when all alternating-current power within the plant is lost due to extreme natural disasters and the functionality of existing equipment is degraded.
The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said that, after comprehensively reviewing the safety grade, specifications, and seismic performance of the newly installed equipment, it confirmed compliance with the relevant technical standards, and that it will continue to monitor safety during installation and operation.
There was also a report on seismic safety. The Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) reported to the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission that, among the 16 faults identified in the investigation of active faults in the southeastern region conducted after the 2016 Gyeongju earthquake, seven faults could affect the nearby Kori and Saeul nuclear plants, the Wolseong nuclear plant, and the radioactive waste disposal site, and that they were appropriately selected under the relevant seismic evaluation regulations. Assuming the maximum possible earthquake on those faults, the evaluation found that the maximum ground acceleration at the nuclear plants and the waste disposal site would be 0.175g, within the seismic design standard of 0.2g, indicating no impact on safety.
The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission plans to continue conducting seismic safety evaluations for nuclear facilities in regions where new faults are identified in the phased fault survey by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.