'Korea should wean itself off nuclear energy'
By Jung Min-ho
Dilip R. Limaye, senior energy advisor to the World Bank
A world-renowned energy expert has advised Korea to wean itself off nuclear energy, saying the accompanying risks are too great.
“The costs related to nuclear safety and nuclear waste disposal are significant and are not properly accounted for in today’s power economics,” said Dilip R. Limaye, president of SRC Global and senior energy advisor to the World Bank during an interview on Tuesday with The Korea Times.
“What we know about nuclear energy is how much it costs to build a plant and how much it costs to operate it,” he said. “What we don’t know is the costs of the risks.”
Limaye, who has almost 50 years of experience in various clean energy projects, was in Korea to attend the Seoul International Energy Conference, which was held Wednesday.
His warning comes at a time when the government is seeking to build 20 more nuclear reactors by 2035.
However, residents of two designated sites are staging strong protests against such moves. The people of Samcheok, Gangwon Province and Yeongdeok, North Gyeongsang Province have bitterly opposed the construction of nuclear power plants, especially since the Fukushima disaster of 2011.
“We still don’t know how to dispose of the waste properly,” he said. “People put it in the ground and under the ocean. But the waste is still there. Somebody in the future, our children or grandchildren, will have to deal with it.”
The Fukushima nuclear meltdown has been estimated to cost up to $100 billion for the cleanup alone over the next 40 years, setting an alarming message for Korea ― a country that relies on nuclear power for 30 percent of its energy needs.
Anti-nuclear activists are demanding that 23 nuclear power plants be phased out.
From an international perspective, Germany has permanently closed eight of its 17 nuclear reactors and announced it will phase out the rest by 2022; many other European nations have completely shelved their nuclear plans.
“The first thing they should look at is how to improve energy efficiency,” Limaye said. “This is the cheapest and the cleanest option of all.”
“The major benefits of energy efficiency include enhanced energy security, reduced investment needs for new energy supply facilities, and reduced local environmental pollution,” he said.
The World Bank advisor added that he was “very impressed and pleased” by Seoul’s “One Less Nuclear Power Plan,” that has an energy saving target of 2 million TOEs (ton oil equivalent) by the end of this year.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) also aims to raise its power self-sufficiency ratio from three percent in 2011 to 20 percent by 2020.
“This was a visionary statement by Mayor Park Won-soon,” he said. “The SMG needs to continue these efforts and increase the engagement of the private sector to further the implementation of energy efficiency,” he said.
Limaye pointed out that improving energy efficiency could be achieved with simple things like using a more energy-efficient air conditioner and LED light bulbs, which are actually cheaper than incandescent bulbs over the long-term.