South Korea delegation to visit Fukushima nuclear plant next week - The Japan Times
South Korea delegation to visit Fukushima nuclear plant next week | The Japan Times
SEOUL – A South Korean delegation will visit the disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear power plant next week to assess the safety of Japan’s planned release of treated radioactive water into the sea, the South Korean government said Friday.
The 21-member delegation, led by Nuclear Safety and Security Commission chief Yoo Guk Hee and including 20 experts, will arrive in Japan on Sunday for a six-day visit and hold a meeting with relevant Japanese institutions on Monday, according to the Office for Government Policy Coordination.
They will inspect relevant facilities at the Fukushima No. 1 plant on Tuesday and Wednesday and hold another meeting based on the inspection results on Thursday, Park Ku-yeon, the first deputy chief of the office, told a news conference.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: nuclear
Nuclear energy provides almost 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Advocates have called for an expanded role for nuclear as an emissions-free fuel source. But the economics of building new reactors are daunting. In addition, lingering safety concerns are an institutionalized part of the calculation of nuclear regulation, and highly radioactive nuclear waste remains a can that public officials have been inclined to kick down the road. The Energy Information Administration projects a sharp decline in nuclear power generation over the next decade, as new nuclear plants — two are planned — are more than offset by anticipated retirements of several operating reactors.