Construction Improvement for the Korean Nuclear Program

Construction of the nine Nuclear plants requires an enormous financial investment. The decision to build a nuclear unit is based on both economic and resource requirements. Korea has few natural resources to use for power generation so the use of diversified fuel sources is a part of the planning process. Nuclear has historically had economic advantages over the fossil fueled plant, however, this advantage has been reduced. This is mainly due to increasing decommissioning and waste disposal costs plus the financial outlays associated with gaining public acceptance of new nuclear units. One of the principal means to recover the economic advantage of a nuclear plant is to shorten the time needed for construction. Every extra day of construction costs large sums of money in interest and escalation expenses alone. The challenge is to shorten the construction period to the minimum feasible time and thereby reduce the financing costs. The methods that have to be employed to achieve this goal require the total commitment from the management of all entities involved in the program. Through the application of advanced management and construction techniques a new era in the construction of nuclear plants in Korea will occur. This will include changes to the methods used for managing, planning, licensing, designing and constructing the new plants. The ability to meet the aggressive plan for the construction of new nuclear power plants in Korea rests in the hands of the managers of all the parties involved. These men set all the rules by which the new plants will be constructed. It is their responsibility to tackle the current problems and develop the solutions to enable the plan to be realized. The changes suggested within this paper are major, but the potential benefits will allow the Korean Nuclear Industry to advance into the twenty first Century as a leader. The number of fully trained specialists needed to make this happen will not appear overnight. They will have to be developed on the plants currently committed to. Management must provide the means to allow this to happen. Continuing with the status quo will only lead to failure and result in national economic problems. The supporting organizations and systems, to provide the managers with the information to manage by, have to be developed. Full cooperation between participants needs to became a reality. The quality and safety of the plants have to be increased while reducing costs and schedules. Most of the industry knows the challenges and problems that require solving. All the parties involved in the nuclear construction program need to bring forward the problems so that they can be resolved. The need is to be responsive to the issues, thoughtful in the resolutions and aggressive in the application of the changes. The future of the program is in the hands of management and the future means management, construction practices and methods must change