The national project to build the Ochang multipurpose synchrotron radiation accelerator—expected to become a core foundation for strengthening Korea’s scientific and technological competitiveness—is now back on track.

According to North Chungcheong Province on the 17th, the Korea Basic Science Institute (KBSI) announced a construction tender on the 14th for the accelerator’s infrastructure facilities and has begun the process of selecting a contractor.

The infrastructure facilities will be built on a site inside the Ochang Technopolis Industrial Complex, with one basement level and three above-ground floors.
The site area is 310,000 ㎡, and the total floor area will be 69,525㎡.

The total construction cost, including government-supplied materials and VAT, is 303.6 billion KRW.

As with the third tender, the bidding will proceed through a "design-build technical proposal" method. Construction companies wishing to participate must apply for the preliminary qualification screening (PQ) via the Public Procurement Service’s Nara Market system by December 1.

A site briefing session will be held on December 15. Companies must submit their technical proposals by February 24 next year. After evaluation, a contractor will be selected, and groundbreaking is expected in the first half of the same year.

The accelerator project has been delayed due to three consecutive failed bidding attempts for contractor selection. The province and KBSI have therefore relaunched the tender process to ensure that groundbreaking in the first half of next year proceeds without disruption.

The construction site for the accelerator was completed in June last year. The power supply installation, which began this June, is also progressing normally.

Road access work has also reached a 95% land compensation rate, showing that infrastructure linked to the accelerator construction is moving forward smoothly.

Kim Su-in, Director General of the Provincial Science Talent Bureau, stated, “The synchrotron radiation accelerator is a national infrastructure that will define the future competitiveness of Korea’s science and technology. We will work closely with central ministries and related agencies to ensure the successful execution of the infrastructure project and strive to generate tangible outcomes for the regional economy and industrial ecosystem.”

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The Ochang accelerator is designed to produce light more than 100 times brighter than the existing third-generation synchrotron radiation accelerator in Pohang. Korea will become the sixth country in the world to possess a fourth-generation accelerator.

Due to detailed design refinements and inflationary changes, the project budget has increased by 118.9 billion KRW to 1.1643 trillion KRW. The project timeline has also been extended by two years, with completion now scheduled for 2029.

(Reporter: Cheon Young-jun)
Source: Chungbuk Ilbo