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UAE Bid as Chance to Boost S. Korea’s Nuclear Technology Export
A South Korean-led consortium recently won an order building a massive size nuclear power reactor, placed by
the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), and is an auspicious occasion for the nation. It’s a combined work of the country’s technological advance and diplomatic strength in that South Korean President Lee Myung-bak visited the U.A.E. to help the consortium win the project in a competition with a French consortium led by Areva.
South Korea’s first-ever winning of the project that beat off the U.S. and French consortium with a great technological advance in a nuclear power plant is a big milestone in South Korea’s industrial history.
Following the South Korean consortium chosen as a preferred bidder for the test-purpose nuclear reactor construction in Jordan, South Korea bolstered its position as a leading nation in nuclear reactor as receiving a large commercial nuclear power plant project for the first time in South Korea’s history.
The U.A.E. project is anticipated to pave the way for South Korea to expand its presence in large overseas markets such as China, Turkey, Jordan and India.
However, tasks still remain to be solved. For example, South Korea has not localized some of the core technologies such as reactor coolant pump development.
Nurturing professional technical personnel is another critical task. Universities and graduate school curriculum offering courses on nuclear power must be expanded and functions of research institute on nuclear energy must be
stimulated as well.
Original article : http://news.mk.co.kr/newsRead.php?year=2009&no=666099
