The government has finalized a new master plan outlining the long-term management direction for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste. Reflecting changes in nuclear power plant operation outlooks and an increase in decommissioning waste, the core of the plan is to expand disposal and storage facilities in stages and invest 557.7 billion won over the next five years.
The government said on the 23rd that it convened the 12th Nuclear Promotion Commission in writing from the 9th to the 12th and reviewed and approved the Third Basic Plan for the Management of Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste.
Under the Radioactive Waste Management Act, this plan is a statutory plan established every five years and is a mid- to long-term plan that presents the management direction for low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste over the next 30 years. In linkage with the forthcoming Third Basic Plan for the Management of High-Level Radioactive Waste, it also serves to reorganize the overall radioactive waste management system.
The plan reflects the changed conditions since the second plan was established in 2020. Key variables considered included changes in the outlook for nuclear power plant construction and operation under the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, the generation of decommissioning waste following approval to decommission Kori Unit 1, and advances in related technologies. Accordingly, the government projected that the cumulative volume of low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste will reach about 420,000 drums by 2054.
As key tasks of the plan, the government presented three pillars—enhancing safety and operational efficiency, building a foundation for future preparedness, and securing public trust—and prepared 12 detailed tasks to achieve them.
First, on the management system front, it will expand disposal facilities in stages. The phase-one disposal facility in Gyeongju currently in operation is a cavern-type facility for waste at or below intermediate level. In addition, it will begin operating a phase-two near-surface facility this year, and going forward it will also secure a phase-three landfill-type disposal facility to handle waste at or below very low level.
The capacity of radioactive waste inspection and storage facilities will be increased from the current 7,000 drums to about 17,000 drums by 2029 to improve the operational efficiency of disposal facilities, and the volumes for acceptance and disposal will also be expanded in stages. Alongside this, the government will advance technologies for waste minimization and for securing disposal suitability, and strengthen disaster management systems to respond to climate crisis variables such as wildfires and heavy rain.
The government will establish a national inventory management system for radioactive waste to enhance transparency and efficiency, and will refine institutional foundations such as acceptance criteria so that various types of waste generated when nuclear decommissioning accelerates can be disposed of in a timely manner. It also identified management systems using artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twins, and drone-based facility monitoring, as targets for adoption. The plan also aims to grow the related industrial ecosystem through private-sector technical support and the establishment of radionuclide analysis infrastructure.
It also said it will gather public opinion through the communication platform operated by the Korea Radioactive Waste Agency and expand public services for small and micro-scale radioactive waste generators to reduce blind spots in management. Customized win-win measures, including projects linked to regional development and support for resolving local issues, were also included as targets for promotion.
Using the Radioactive Waste Management Fund, the government plans to invest a total of 557.7 billion won over five years from 2026 to 2030 in complex disposal facility construction and operation, radiation safety management, regional support, and technology development. It will establish a separate annual implementation plan each year to check and evaluate progress.