S. Korea eyes Dutch research reactor project

Netherlands-research reactor


SEOUL, Jan. 25 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is carefully assessing a decision by the
Netherlands to halt its contractor selection process for the building of a
research reactor, the Seoul government said Monday, as it may allow local
companies to bid on the project.

The science ministry said Amsterdam's recent announcement that it will
discontinue the bidding process for the 80 megawatt PALLAS reactor could provide
a new opportunity to South Korean firms. PALLAS would have replaced the 45
megawatt HFR unit that is set to be decommissioned in 2016.
Unlike commercial reactors that are designed to generate power, research reactors
use neutron irradiation for technological and scientific research purposes. These
reactors are also designed for isotope production for medical and industrial
purposes.
Argentina's INVAP SE was selected as the primary negotiation partner for the
reactor in June 2009 and a formal deal was to have been finalized in May.
"The exact reasons why the bid and detailed negotiations were halted are not
fully known, but it may have been due to overall cost and a lack on funding from
the regional government involved," an official here said.
A South Korean consortium led by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute,
Korea Power Engineering Co. and Doosan Heavy Industry and Construction Co. took
part in the Netherlands' open bid when it began in 2007, but finished second.
French atomic energy giant Areva was also involved in the initial bid.
The South Korean ministry said that while the bidding process may have been
halted, the Netherlands has not canceled the research reactor project altogether.
If the Dutch government decides move forward again, South Korean businesses will
take steps to secure the deal, estimated to be worth around 1 trillion won
(US$869.9 million), the ministry added.
South Korea has been operating its 30 megawatt HANARO reactor since 1995 and has
increasingly eyed export markets in the past few years.
Earlier this month, a South Korean consortium secured a deal to build the first
research reactor in Jordan.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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