첨단원자력기술 개발 지원약속을 구체화한 영국 UK details commitment to advanced nuclear technologies
UK details commitment to advanced nuclear technologies
09 November 2018
The UK government has updated its policy paper on advanced nuclear technologies, which it says have the potential to play an important part of its Industrial Strategy. Energy Minister Richard Harrington first announced the policy at the Nuclear Industry Association’s annual conference last December.
첨단원자력기술 개발 지원약속을 구체화한 영국 영국 정부는 2017년 12월 에너지부 장관이 원자력산업협회(Nuclear Industry Association) 연차총회에서 처음으로 공개했던 산업전략에 중요한 역할을 할 수 있는 잠재력이 큰 첨단원자력기술 개발 지원에 대한 정책백서를 업데이트했다. 올 6월에 나온 Nuclear Sector Deal은 2030년까지 신규원전 건설비용을 30% 저감하고 폐로비용을 20% 저감하고 원자력분야 여성인력 40% 증가시키고 국내외 시장에서 미화 26억 불을 벌어들일 수 있도록 공급망의 경쟁력을 확보한다는 내용으로 구성되어 있다. 장관은 2019년부터 일반설계평가(GDA, Generic Design Assessment)를 소형 및 첨단 모듈형원자로에 대해서도 개방하고 올 해말 이전에 신청을 할 수 있다는 의중도 비췄다. 이를 위해 영국 기업에너지산업전략부(BEIS, Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy)와 영국 원전규제기관이 관련사를 참여시켜 GDA 워크숍을 열기로 했다. 소형원자력 또는 소형원자로기술로 알려진 첨단원자력기술은 현재 개발 중인 광범위한 원자로 기술을 망라하고 있다. BEIS측은 이 기술은 종래의 원자력발전소보다 작은 원자로를 말하며 발전소의 대부분을 공장에서 제작하며 부지 내로 옮겨 설치하기 때문에 건설 리스크를 저감할 수 있으며 자본집약성을 줄일 수 있다고 밝혔다. 첨단원자력기술은 일반적으로 2개로 나뉘는데 하나는 제3세대 수냉식 소형모듈형원자로로 기존 발전용 원자로와 비슷하지만 규모가 작은 특징이다. 다른 하나는 제4세대(Generation IV) 및 이후 첨단모듈형원자로로 독특한 냉각시스템이나 핵연료를 사용해서 산업용 열생산과 같은 새로운 기능성을 갖고 있으며 건설비 저감효과가 큰 것이 특징이다. BEIS측은 소형모듈형원자로(SMR)라는 용어보다 '첨단원자력기술'이라는 용어를 선호하고 있다. BEIS는 4,400만 파운드를 첨단모듈형원자로 타당성 및 개발프로젝트에 투자할 예정이다. 8개 원자로개발사가 1단계 프로젝트 참여하도록 선정된 바 있다. 원전규제기관인 ONR(Office for Nuclear Regulation)과 환경청에도 700만 파운드를 지원해서 소형 및 첨단모듈형원자로 인허가 심사 능력을 제고하도록 할 계획이다. ndsl.kr |
At the Commercialisation of Small Nuclear in the UK event held this week at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry, England, Harrington announced further information on commitments made in the Nuclear Sector Deal.
Launched in June, the Nuclear Sector Deal aims to deliver: a 30% reduction in the cost of new build projects by 2030; savings of 20% in the cost of decommissioning compared with current estimates by 2030; 40% women in nuclear by 2030; and a more competitive supply chain equipped to win domestic and foreign contracts of up to GBP2.0 billion (USD2.6 billion) by 2030.
Harrington announced the intention to open the Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process for small and advanced modular reactors in the new year, with registration for expressions of interest opening before the end of the year. In preparation for this, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the UK regulators will aim to hold a GDA workshop in due course to engage with stakeholders.
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Advanced Nuclear Technologies - otherwise known as small nuclear or small reactor technologies - encompass a wide range of nuclear reactor technologies under development, BEIS noted.
"The common attributes that these technologies share is that they are smaller than conventional nuclear power station reactors and are designed so that much of the plant can be fabricated in a factory environment and transported to site, reducing construction risk and making them less capital-intensive," it said.
Generally advanced nuclear technologies fall into one of two groups, it said. These are Generation III water-cooled small modular reactors, which are similar to existing nuclear power station reactors but on a smaller scale; and Generation IV and beyond advanced modular reactors, which use novel cooling systems or fuels to offer new functionality (such as industrial process heat) and potentially a step-change reduction in costs, it said.
"There is a large variety of potential technologies within these groups which range in scale between micro, small and medium scale reactors and which span technology types from conventional water-cooled reactors, to Generation IV reactors using novel fuels and coolants, as well as fusion reactor concepts," BEIS said.
"Given this breadth, the government believes that 'SMR', as commonly understood, is too narrow a description for technologies coming forward after the current generation of nuclear power stations. Instead government considers this to be the 'Advanced Nuclear' market," it added.
Last December, the government set up an Expert Finance Working Group to advise on how small and advanced modular reactor projects could raise investment in the UK. The final report, Market Framework for Financing Small Nuclear, was published on 7 August.
BEIS is to invest up to GBP44 million in the Advanced Modular Reactor Feasibility and Development project. Eight organisations have been awarded contracts to produce feasibility studies as part of phase 1.
The government and the sector will work together to establish an Advanced Manufacturing and Construction programme of work to demonstrate new ways of making key, high-value nuclear components, or designing systems or processes, BEIS said.
It will provide up to GBP20 million (subject to approval) to leverage significant sector investment, starting with a GBP12 million commitment, but increasing as the programme takes shape.
The government has provided up to GBP7 million to the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency to build the regulators’ capability and capacity for future licensing of small and advanced modular reactors.
"The aim is that more mature designs of smaller reactors could enter the GDA process in the near term (late 2018, subject to the readiness of the individual designs)," BEIS said, adding that it is working closely with the nuclear regulators on the entry criteria for the GDA.
In March 2016, government launched the first phase of the SMR competition as an “evidence-gathering phase” with the goal of gauging market interest among technology developers, utilities, and potential investors, BEIS noted.
Following successful engagement with industry, the competition closed last December. This exercise provided valuable insight into the advanced nuclear technologies market, BEIS said.
Researched and written by World Nuclear News
http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/UK-details-commitment-to-advanced-nuclear-technolo
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