In this blog post, we examine how to manage the risks of nuclear power and ensure safety in the face of rising electricity demand.
“Ghost,” one of the characters in the game “StarCraft,” has the ability to launch nuclear missiles at enemy bases. Enemies hit by a nuclear missile are almost always wiped out in an instant. While nuclear missiles serve as a turning point even in a losing situation within the game, their risks are immense in the real world. Although radiation was not a consideration in the game, in reality, the dangers of radiation have led to the establishment of international treaties to prevent the proliferation of nuclear missiles. Nuclear missiles and nuclear power plants share the same basic principle in that they utilize nuclear fission. While nuclear power plants are less dangerous than nuclear missiles, they still pose inherent risks.
Nuclear fission is the process by which an atom splits into two different elements, releasing energy from the atom’s nucleus. This energy is released explosively; if harnessed without control, it becomes a nuclear missile. Conversely, if the amount of energy released is properly regulated, it can be used to generate electricity in a nuclear power plant. When a magnet is moved through a coil made of wound wire, it changes the magnetic field inside the coil, generating an electric current—a phenomenon known as electromagnetic induction. Inside a nuclear power plant, the energy generated by nuclear fission is used to boil water and create steam, which then turns turbines to generate electricity. The problem lies in the radioactive materials left over after nuclear fission has ended. The substances produced after fission are highly unstable and decay on their own, emitting radiation in the process.
Radiation can mutate the cells and DNA of living organisms, causing serious harm, and can induce cancer in humans. Radiation, which can penetrate ordinary materials, can even penetrate concrete walls at high intensities. Because nuclear power plant waste emits this radiation, the disposal process is extremely difficult. Currently, the waste is disposed of by encasing it in thick concrete to prevent the release of radioactive material and then burying it underground. Since radioactive materials can emit radiation for decades, there is a risk of radiation leakage if cracks form in the waste storage facilities due to earthquakes or tectonic shifts. For this reason, residents in areas where nuclear power plants are located often oppose them due to safety concerns.
Some argue that these concerns are exaggerated. Professor Jeong Beop-jin of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Kyung Hee University points out that there have been no fatalities from nuclear accidents in South Korea, noting that there were also no fatalities in the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in the U.S. or the 2011 Fukushima accident in Japan. However, the intense radiation emitted by radioactive materials can be fatal within a few hours to a few weeks simply by being in close proximity. If a nuclear missile were to explode, the immediate effect would be the surrounding area being incinerated by the heat generated from nuclear fission. Secondarily, even people at a distance could suffer cell damage and die from radiation exposure caused by powerful radioactive materials. People at even greater distances would face a slow death from cancer or other diseases as radioactive materials spread through the air. Because nuclear power plants strictly control these fission reactions, accidents do not immediately result in fatalities in the surrounding area. If nuclear power plants did not take these measures, nuclear power would be classified as a high-risk form of energy generation and would not even be permitted to be developed.
It is not clear exactly how much cancer incidence or mortality from other diseases has increased due to past nuclear power plant accidents. For example, even if a specific drug is known to enter the body and directly destroy cells, it is difficult to experimentally test the results of a person ingesting it. The damage caused by nuclear power plant accidents is similar in this regard: while the risks are known in theory, actual clinical results are difficult to verify. This is because it is hard to find people willing to participate in experiments to confirm the risks of nuclear power plants. This is why it is difficult to definitively conclude that nuclear power plants are safe.
During the summer, electricity demand surges as many people use air conditioners to regulate indoor temperatures. In particular, electricity consumption peaks around 2:00 p.m. in the summer. According to the Korea Energy Agency, at this time of day, most Koreans are at school, work, or other business premises, and few are at home. Furthermore, the power reserve rate is higher on weekends than on weekdays during the summer, indicating that businesses are the primary cause of the increased electricity demand due to air conditioning.
Electricity bills for businesses are generally shared among many parties. Companies cover their own costs, while department stores and similar establishments have their owners pay the bills. Company employees and customers do not worry about electricity bills; they simply want a comfortable environment. In fact, under the current electricity pricing system, progressive rates apply only to residential customers and not to industrial electricity, so electricity used in commercial facilities is cheaper than residential electricity.
Many modern devices use electricity, and because electricity is easy to use and store, it is the second most widely used energy source after fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Since current power generation facilities do not account for storage capabilities, they must produce more electricity than is demanded. Since demand peaks in the summer, maintaining power generation levels to meet this demand results in a power reserve rate of up to 30% during spring and fall. Generally, a power reserve rate of 10% is considered to indicate a balance between supply and demand, meaning that a significant amount of unnecessary electricity is being wasted during these seasons. With recent advancements in battery technology, integrating these batteries into power generation facilities to build storage capacity would allow for a flexible supply of electricity based on demand without the need to build additional power plants. In fact, in 2014, a large-scale battery power plant consisting of 25,600 lithium-manganese cells began operations in Germany. This system stores surplus power and supplies it when demand is high.
According to Statistics Korea, the average annual growth rate of electricity consumption from 2015 to 2023 was 1.6% in 2015, 2.1% in 2016, 2.0% in 2017, 1.3% in 2018, 0.5% in 2019, 1.9% in 2020, 1.7% in 2021, 1.2% in 2022, and 1.1% in 2023, showing a recent downward trend. Under these growth rates, constructing additional nuclear power plants would entail significant economic and environmental costs. Meeting electricity demand through changes in power generation infrastructure and adjustments to electricity rates will be the way to reduce future waste and risks.
