Linkage of hydrogen reduction steel and human resources training, speed of construction of east coast energy hub
Gyeongju City, Gyeongbuk Province, joined hands with Gyeongbuk Province, Pohang City, and local universities to actively seek to attract the first small modular nuclear power plant (SMR).
On the 23rd, Gyeongju City announced at the City Hall External Cooperation Office that it had signed a business agreement with Gyeongbuk Province, Pohang City, and four local universities to ‘host the Gyeongju i-SMR initial unit site’.
Four universities, including POSTECH, Handong University, Dongguk University WISE Campus, and Widuk University, participated in this agreement.
This agreement was prepared as a joint response to the SMR construction site contest and for win-win cooperation to build a carbon-neutral energy hub.
The main contents of the agreement include △ attracting the site for the first SMR unit in Gyeongju △ supplying electricity for conversion to hydrogen reduction steel △ producing SMR-based hydrogen and training professional manpower △ designating a specialized area for distributed energy.
In particular, Gyeongbuk-do, Gyeongju-si, and Pohang-si decided to strengthen the metropolitan cooperation system by considering attracting SMR as a key task.
Local universities also plan to participate as key partners and contribute to nurturing SMR experts and supplying talent linked to industrial complexes.
Gyeongju City evaluates this agreement as having laid a practical foundation for cooperation to attract the first SMR units.
Gyeongbuk Province and Gyeongju City have been working to establish the foundation for the entire SMR cycle, from research and development to commercialization, focusing on Donggyeongju, and are continuing various attraction activities such as forming a task force team, advisory meetings, National Assembly forums, and citizen briefing sessions in preparation for competitions for attracting construction sites.
Choi Hyuk-jun, acting mayor of Gyeongju, “지자체와 대학, 관련 기관이 긴밀히 협력해 반드시 SMR 1호기 유치에 성공하고 차세대 에너지 산업 중심지로 도약하겠다”He said.
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