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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