South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering & Construction (Hyundai E&C) has completed a full-scale rock excavation trial using its newly developed, proprietary technology designed for used nuclear fuel disposal facilities. It is the first South Korean construction company to build and verify dedicated equipment capable of digging full-sized deposition holes directly into underground bedrock.
The trial was executed as part of a government-funded research initiative on high-level radioactive waste management overseen by the Korea Radioactive Waste Agency (KORAD), with Hyundai E&C serving as the sole participating construction firm.
Deep geological repositories require precise drilling to isolate radioactive waste without creating micro-fissures in the surrounding environment, which could otherwise allow groundwater to seep in. Hyundai E&C’s new system addresses this challenge.
The dedicated drilling mechanism measures 1.75 metres in diameter and 5.7 metres in length. It is designed to meet the deposition hole specifications and construction conditions required by the Korea Advanced Disposal System (KORADIS), which was developed to suit Korea’s geological environment and technical conditions. In particular, the equipment features a “foldable cutterhead”, which addresses the need to excavate multiple deposition holes repeatedly at a disposal facility. Once excavation is complete, the cutterhead is folded, so the equipment can be safely retrieved and reused.
Hyundai E&C verified the equipment’s performance and constructability by carrying out full-scale deposition hole excavation in rock in an underground research tunnel. During the demonstration, AI analysed excavation data in real time to assess ground conditions, so excavation could be optimised based on the analysis results and equipment performance.
Following the drill phase, LiDAR-based digital mapping was used to build a precise structural layout to verify that the hole is structurally sound and meets strict safety tolerances. LiDAR – Light Detection & Ranging – is a remote sensing technology that uses laser pulses to map physical environments in highly accurate 3D.
This project, developed through the HMG Construction Technology Research Institute – the joint R&D arm of Hyundai E&C and Hyundai Engineering – is part of a larger push to control the entire nuclear lifecycle.
Beyond physical boring machinery, the company is researching specialised concrete and grout compositions to act as long-term engineered barriers against groundwater inflow. They are also building out a digital rock engineering and monitoring system custom-tailored to South Korea’s specific geological formations to bolster future repository safety.
Hyundai E&C is building its presence in the global nuclear decontamination and decommissioning (D&D) market. By securing partnerships with international nuclear experts, the company has transitioned from building reactors to dismantling them.
In March 2022, Hyundai E&C became the first South Korean construction company to participate in a US nuclear decommissioning project by signing a project management contract with Holtec International.
The Indian Point Energy Center (IPEC) consists of three units with a combined nameplate capacity of 2,317 MWe. The final operating reactor was closed in April 2021 paving the way for Holtec International and project management partner, Hyundai E&C to begin the decommissioning effort. Hyundai E&C is deeply integrated into the planning and execution of the dismantling process. This includes cutting reactor pressure vessels, chemical decontamination, and volume reduction for massive machinery.
To build structural experience ahead of South Korea’s domestic decommissioning wave, Hyundai E&C entered a broader strategic “teaming agreement” with Holtec. Hyundai sends its engineers directly to Holtec-owned decommissioning sites in the US. This gives them hands-on expertise in radioactive soil remediation, ageing facility management, and the dry storage of used nuclear fuel.
South Korea began its own full-scale decommissioning era after the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission approved the dismantling of Kori NPP unit 1. Hyundai E&C is heavily leveraging the technologies and credentials it secured during the US IPEC project to position itself as the primary contractor for Kori 1 and subsequent ageing Korean reactors.
