The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission has reorganized nuclear fuel cycle facilities into a construction and operation permit system like nuclear power plants.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission announced on the 22nd that it will announce the "Partial Amendment Act of the Nuclear Safety Act," which revamp the permit system for nuclear fuel cycle facilities to construction and operation permits like nuclear power plants.

According to the current Nuclear Safety Act, depending on the type of nuclear fuel cycle facility, material refining, conversion, and processing facilities receive business permits from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, and spent nuclear fuel processing facilities receive business designation from the minister in charge.

This revision will allow nuclear fuel cycle facilities to receive construction and operation permits from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, just like nuclear power plants, and when nuclear fuel cycle facility operators apply for construction and operation permits, they must submit preliminary and final safety analysis reports.

The revised law will take effect on October 23 next year, and includes KEPCO Nuclear Fuel, which operates a nuclear fuel cycle facility for domestic nuclear power plant supply and export nuclear fuel, and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, which operates a spent nuclear fuel test facility.

The nuclear fuel cycle facility is a facility that purifies, converts, processes, and processes spent nuclear fuel, such as uranium, which is a raw material for nuclear fuel.