Decommissioning of Gori Unit 1 Nuclear Reactor Begins in Earnest... KHNP Publishes Final Plan for Public Review

Submission to the October Nuclear Safety and Security Commission after collecting opinions

Panoramic view of Gori Unit 1 in Gijang-gun, Busan. (Photo by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The 'nuclear phase-out' has officially begun. The draft dismantling plan for Korea's first nuclear power plant, Busan Gori Unit 1, which is undergoing decommissioning for the first time domestically, has been prepared.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced on the 29th that it will actively proceed with the dismantling work of Gori Unit 1. If everything goes according to plan, the dismantling will be completed in 12 years, by 2032.

KHNP explained that from next month 1st until August 29th, a 60-day public inspection process for the draft final dismantling plan of Gori Unit 1 will be conducted.

The final dismantling plan is a permit document that the project operator KHNP must submit to and get approval from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) to carry out nuclear power plant dismantling.

It contains a comprehensive plan for nuclear power plant dismantling, including safety evaluation, radiation protection, decontamination and dismantling activities, radioactive waste management, and environmental impact assessment.

According to the Nuclear Safety Act and other regulations, KHNP will conduct public inspection and collect opinions from residents of nine basic local governments: Busan’s Gijang-gun, Haeundae-gu, Geumjeong-gu; Ulsan’s Ulju-gun, Nam-gu, Jung-gu, Buk-gu, Dong-gu; and Yangsan-si.

Residents can review the plan at locations designated by each basic local government and submit their opinions to the local government.

KHNP will gather the opinions, reflect them in the final dismantling plan, and if necessary, hold a separate public hearing to collect additional feedback.

Through this process, KHNP will submit the final dismantling plan along with the results of the public inspection and public hearing to the NSSC by the end of October.

Jung Jae-hoon, CEO of KHNP, said, "We will do our best to faithfully reflect the valuable opinions of local residents in the final dismantling plan of Gori Unit 1 and successfully complete Korea’s first nuclear power plant dismantling."

Gori Unit 1 is Korea’s first nuclear power plant, which began commercial operation in April 1978. It was permanently shut down in June 2017 after reaching its 40-year lifespan three years ago.

KHNP plans to complete the removal of spent nuclear fuel by 2025 and decontamination and demolition work by 2030. The total cost, including facility demolition, radioactive waste disposal, insurance fees, and research and development expenses, is expected to be 812.9 billion KRW.

However, the draft plan does not include the method for handling spent nuclear fuel. Currently, 485 bundles of spent nuclear fuel are temporarily stored.

According to the government’s 2016 basic plan for high-level radioactive waste management, KHNP planned to build a temporary storage facility here by 2024 and remove the fuel by the end of 2025 once interim and permanent storage facilities are established.

However, as the government has decided to review the plan, a public opinion collection process is currently underway for this purpose.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.