South Korea will include a plan to build four small modular reactors (SMRs) in the upcoming basic energy plan to be announced later this year, a senior presidential aide said Sunday.

Park Sang-wook, presidential secretary for science and technology, said in an interview with public broadcaster KBS that the SMRs will be reflected in the 11th basic plan for electricity supply and demand.

SMRs are ready-to-install modular reactors that are smaller in size and power output compared with traditional nuclear reactors, allowing for more flexible and scalable deployment.

"To achieve the output equivalent to one large nuclear power plant, we need to group together about four SMRs, each with a generating capacity ranging from 170 megawatts to 350 megawatts," Park said during the interview.

Park highlighted SMRs as a next-generation growth driver and a key export product, expressing hope for bipartisan support for their inclusion in the upcoming energy plan.

"In this regard, there should be no division between the ruling and opposition parties," he said.

He assessed that South Korea's SMR capabilities rank among the top three in the world, while its large nuclear power plants are considered "top" globally when factoring in technology, construction capabilities, and operational performance, particularly by the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power.

Since SMRs are still in the early stages of development, Park emphasized the importance of advancing related technology while simultaneously establishing licensing criteria.

"We are intensifying our efforts to develop a Korean-style SMR and ensure timely licensing by expanding our pool of specialized personnel," he said. (Yonhap)