South Korea, US to cooperate on hydrogen energy project
Seoul, Aug 17, 2005 -- BBC Monitoring
South Korea and the United States will work together to develop
a next-generation nuclear reactor that promises to produce large
quantities of hydrogen at a low cost, officials said Wednesday [17
August].
The joint project is expected to help South Korea to
better prepare for the so-called hydrogen economy where hydrogen
will become a major source of energy, according to the Ministry of
Science and Economy. The ministry said the Korea Atomic Energy
Research Institute and Doosan Heavy Industry and Construction Co.
are pushing to set up a joint nuclear hydrogen research centre in
cooperation with General Atomics, a US-based nuclear technology
company. "The project is part of an ongoing effort by the
government to join a multinational effort to build a
fourth-generation nuclear power system that makes use of the
so-called very high temperature gas cooled reactor," a ministry
official said. The centre will aim to build key components that
will allow the futuristic nuclear hydrogen system to work
efficiently and economically, he added. Other benefits that can be
derived from the cooperative venture include getting first-hand
experience of the US company's extensive experience in this field.
General Atomics is the only company in the United States that has
been working on the new reactor system since the 1970s and is an
integral member of the US Department of Energy's nuclear hydrogen
initiative and the next-generation nuclear plant. A memorandum of
understanding is expected to be signed in the next few months,
with research centres being built in General Atomics main office
in San Diego and at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute in
Daejon, about 164 km south of Seoul.
Source: Yonhap news agency, Seoul, in English 0609 gmt 17 Aug
05
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