[비즈한국] Ahead of establishing the 12th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, which will serve as the blueprint for the nation's mid-to-long-term power policy, the government is launching a three-month public deliberation process to determine the role of nuclear power. During the Cabinet meeting on September 22, the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment officially reported its “Plan for Public Deliberation on Nuclear Power.” However, environmental groups are criticizing the move as a deceptive deliberation that asks about the role of nuclear power while already taking the surge in electricity demand for granted.
Discussion of Nuclear Power Deliberation Plan at Cabinet Meeting
At the 41st Cabinet meeting held that day via video conference between the Government Complex Seoul and the Government Complex Sejong, the government discussed the “Plan for Public Deliberation on Nuclear Power” as a key agenda item.
Prime Minister Han Sung-sook stated in her opening remarks, “Securing energy has become a barometer of our industrial competitiveness due to the rapid surge in electricity demand driven by the proliferation of AI and the cultivation of high-tech industries. Accordingly, the government is devising various measures to efficiently utilize nuclear power as well as expand renewable energy to build a stable energy supply system.” She added, “We will gather the will of the people on nuclear power policy through a transparent and fair deliberation process. I ask that the public take special interest and contribute their wisdom so that this deliberation can become a constructive and reliable forum for gathering insights for future power supply and demand.”
Public Discussion and Opinion Gathering Based on Deliberation by a Citizen Participation Group
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment emphasized the need to collect public opinion through deliberation, noting that a zero-sum game has been unfolding around nuclear power and renewable energy over the past eight years, spanning the Moon Jae-in and Yoon Suk-yeol administrations. The basic nature of the deliberation will move away from a simple pro-or-con format and instead focus on comprehensively examining the role of nuclear power as one of the alternatives to meet electricity demand.
To this end, a “Nuclear Power Deliberation Committee for the Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand” will be newly established with up to 11 members, including one chairperson. The committee members will be filled with neutral individuals who have no conflicts of interest regarding nuclear power, recommended by relevant organizations in fields such as humanities and social sciences, science and technology, statistics, conflict management, and energy. Experts in the nuclear power sector will be separated into a separate “Specialized Committee” to provide objective technical information. The deliberation method will be based on deliberative discussions by a representative citizen participation group, while simultaneously conducting open expert forums and online public opinion gathering.
Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Sung-hwan stated the purpose of the plan during a briefing: “While there are voices saying that the role of nuclear power is necessary to provide a stable and sufficient power supply as electricity demand is expected to increase significantly due to the expansion of semiconductors and electric vehicles, there are also lingering public concerns regarding nuclear safety and spent nuclear fuel issues.” He added, “We decided that the government should not approach the decision on the role of nuclear power by listening to only one side or simply asking for a yes or no.”
Following the public deliberation on nuclear power, the delay of the 12th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand has become inevitable. Initially, the Ministry aimed to draft the government proposal in October, but it has delayed the announcement to December, when the recommendations will be released. Furthermore, it was clarified that the Deliberation Committee will not decide on the number of nuclear power plants and is an “advisory body,” not a decision-making body, that will submit recommendations to the government. In particular, projects where sites have already been determined, such as new nuclear power plants in Yeongdeok, Gyeongbuk, or life extensions for aging reactors, were excluded from the deliberation on the grounds that they are proceeding according to existing administrative procedures.
Regarding the schedule delay, Minister Kim explained, “After listening to experts in deliberative democracy, they said that if we are to do this, we must do it properly, and it requires at least three months. Since the 11th Basic Plan was finalized in February 2025, it is not particularly late in the two-year cycle, and although we could not keep the initial promise of October, we judged that it is more important to fully listen to public opinion.”
Anti-Nuclear Groups: “A Foregone Conclusion for New Nuclear Power Plants”
However, immediately after the government announcement, environmental groups protested. The “National Action for Stopping New Nuclear Power Plants and a Nuclear-Free Society (National Action)” pointed out that the plan to ask about the role of nuclear power based on the premise of a surge in electricity demand does not reveal how the validity of electricity demand forecasts or alternatives, including demand reduction, will be reviewed. They pointed out that it was not specifically stated how to ensure a balance of information provided to the citizen participation group or how to guarantee the participation of local residents in nuclear-prone areas. They strongly protested that launching a deliberation when the government has already declared the need for new nuclear power plants based on an expected explosion in large-scale electricity demand is nothing more than a deceptive act that treats the expansion of nuclear power as a foregone conclusion.
Yoo Esther, an executive committee member of National Action, criticized the move, saying, “It is questionable what the deliberation means when the government has already clearly established its policy to expand new nuclear power plants. Filling the committee only with neutral personnel is tantamount to ignoring the voices of local residents in nuclear-prone areas and the demands of civil society to discuss the matter together.”