The government has launched a committee dedicated to reinvigorate its local nuclear industry and help companies win international projects to build nuclear power plants.
 
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held an inaugural ceremony and the first meeting of the committee on Thursday. 
 
The new committee consists of some 30 relevant institutions including nine ministries, ten public institutes and nine private organizations.
 
During the meeting, Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang who heads the committee pointed out that the committee is the first of its kind since 1978 when Korea started the commercial operation of its first nuclear power plant.
 
Lee expressed hope that the country will open a new era of advances in nuclear power plant engineering this year, since many countries, including the Czech Republic, Poland, the U.K. and Saudi Arabia, have shown interest in cooperation with South Korea in this field.
 
The government aims to raise its market share of nuclear power generation to over 30 percent by 2030. In line with the policy, the committee plans to provide related contracts worth over one trillion won within this year.
 
The committee will formulate export strategies tailored to different countries and also establish a new center that provides financial consulting for the businesses.