Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Likely to Continue Operation... Overwhelming Support for MACSTOR Expansion (Comprehensive)

Review Committee "81.4% Support in Resident Vote"
Possible to Start Next Month if Ministry of Industry Decides
Relieved but... Key to Appeasing Anti-Nuclear Groups and Residents
Final Decision by Ministry of Industry Pending
Unlikely to Overturn Gyeongju Residents' Sentiment
Anti-Nuclear Groups "Ulsan Citizens Excluded
Public Deliberation Process Hastily Handled... Invalid"

A view of Naari, Yangnam-myeon, located 2 km from the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Wolsong Nuclear Headquarters near Units 2, 3, and 4 of the Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant in Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do.
(Photo by Moon Chaeseok)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The results of gathering local residents' opinions on the additional construction of the temporary storage facility for spent nuclear fuel (MACSTOR) at the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant showed an overwhelming majority in favor. Accordingly, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) is expected to begin additional construction of the MACSTOR as early as August. The MACSTOR for Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Units 2 to 4 was expected to reach saturation around March 2022, and if expansion was not carried out in time, the nuclear power plant would have to cease operations. With the expansion of the MACSTOR, the crisis of having to stop Units 2, 3, and 4 of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant?which generate 21.9% of the electricity for Daegu and Gyeongbuk?from March 2022 can be avoided.

The Spent Nuclear Fuel Management Policy Review Committee (Review Committee) announced on the morning of the 24th that 81.4% of local opinions collected regarding the expansion of the MACSTOR at Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Units 2, 3, and 4 in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk, were in favor of expansion.

Once the Review Committee delivers the opinion collection results to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), the ministry will make the final decision on whether to proceed with the expansion. MOTIE has previously stated that it will reflect residents' opinions as much as possible, so the possibility of overturning the decision is slim. KHNP’s Wolseong Nuclear Power Headquarters plans to start expansion work immediately upon the government's decision.

On this day, the Review Committee stated, "According to the results of the third survey conducted among the citizen participation group regarding the additional construction of the MACSTOR, 81.4% were in favor, 11.0% opposed, and 7.6% were undecided."

The citizen participation group for collecting local opinions on the MACSTOR expansion consisted of 145 members, including residents of the three towns near the nuclear power plant in East Gyeongju (Yangnam-myeon, Yangbuk-myeon, and Gampo-eup) and citizens of Gyeongju. The Review Committee explained, "Even when dividing residents living within 5 km of the nuclear power plant in the three towns and those living in Gyeongju city by age, gender, occupation, education level, and income level, the approval rate was at least 65% in all categories."

Previously, the Review Committee and the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Regional Implementation Organization conducted an online deliberation process for three weeks starting from the 27th of last month with the citizen participation group. Subsequently, on the 18th and 19th, a comprehensive forum was held with the citizen participation group to survey opinions on the MACSTOR expansion.

Source: Spent Nuclear Fuel Management Policy Review Committee (Review Committee)

"This is not simply a result of a yes-or-no vote"

The Review Committee conducted a detailed survey with the citizen participation group not only on whether they supported or opposed the additional MACSTOR facility but also on how South Korea’s wet and dry storage methods for spent nuclear fuel are operated, how much they trust information provided by the government and experts, their political stance, occupation, income level, and how helpful the deliberation process was in decision-making.

According to the Review Committee, the support rate for MACSTOR expansion among the citizen participation group increased as the three-week deliberation process progressed after the orientation on the 27th of last month. The approval rate was 58.6% at the first orientation, rose to 80% during the second survey on the 18th (start of the comprehensive forum), and reached 81.4% in the third survey on the 19th (completion of the comprehensive forum). A Review Committee official explained, "Among the 48 people who responded 'undecided' in the first survey, 35 changed their response to 'support' in the third survey."

A resident who participated in the citizen participation group said, "Several residents changed their minds to support during the deliberation process," adding, "Whether in favor or opposed, every member of the citizen participation group was so careful in the deliberation process that they could explain their reasons in front of others, so unilateral rejection of this decision will be difficult to accept."

The support for the expansion of the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant MACSTOR is expected to be cited as an important case that overcame intense conflicts before discussions on the mid- to long-term management plan for spent nuclear fuel. Although the final decision by MOTIE, the competent ministry, remains, insiders within MOTIE and government agencies say it is unlikely that the '81.4% support from Gyeongju citizens' will be overturned.

If MOTIE decides to proceed with the expansion, KHNP’s Wolseong Nuclear Power Headquarters plans to file a construction notification for the MACSTOR expansion at the Yangnam-myeon town office in Gyeongju. Construction will begin as soon as Gyeongju city accepts the notification. On the 21st, Gyeongju Mayor Joo Nak-young stated, "The expansion of the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant MACSTOR will follow the will of the citizens."

The view of Naari, Yangnam-myeon, located 2 km from the Wolseong Nuclear Power Headquarters of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, where Units 2, 3, and 4 of the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant are situated in Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do. (Photo by Moon Chaeseok)

Decision after intense conflicts... difficult to overturn easily

The process leading up to the official announcement of residents' support was arduous. It took three years and nine months after KHNP submitted an operational change permit application for the expansion of seven MACSTOR units to the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) in April 2016 before the NSSC approved it. In January, the NSSC approved the operational change permit for the expansion of MACSTOR at Wolseong Units 2 to 4, but the process led to public debate, and residents' briefings were disrupted three times, causing conflicts.

Residents believed that the expansion of the MACSTOR was an indisputable 'safety facility,' even as the government pursued a nuclear phase-out policy that included the permanent shutdown of Wolseong Unit 1, suspension of construction of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4, and adjustments to the energy mix toward new and renewable energy leading to nuclear power reduction. However, they directly experienced village divisions due to opposition movements by anti-nuclear groups and changes of mind by some residents.

Given the intense conflicts endured, the consensus is that no party will easily overturn the 'support for expansion' decision. The Review Committee received detailed submissions of residents' support and opposition opinions and their reasons after the three-week deliberation process. Most residents are expected to accept the results without significant objections after the deliberation process.

A resident of Yangnam-myeon who participated in the deliberation said, "We studied hard for three weeks, listening to materials and lectures provided by the Review Committee as if attending online school classes. The Review Committee contacted residents with low attendance rates separately to ensure 100% completion. Several residents changed their opinions during the deliberation process, and since residents made careful decisions that they can properly explain their reasons for, whether in favor or opposed, most will accept the results."

On the afternoon of the 23rd, the Ulsan Movement Headquarters for the Residents' Referendum Against the Wolseong Nuclear Waste Site held a press conference at the Ulsan City Hall Press Center to express their position on the public discussion regarding the additional construction of a temporary storage facility for spent nuclear fuel at the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant. (Photo by Yonhap News)

Anti-nuclear groups claim invalidity, leaving room for conflict

The construction of the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant MACSTOR expansion will not start immediately. After receiving the results from the Review Committee, MOTIE will discuss with related ministries, stakeholders, and residents of nearby areas such as Ulsan before making a final decision. A MOTIE official said, "The coordination process may take at least a week and could extend beyond early next month. We will carefully discuss with stakeholders, but it is unlikely that MOTIE will overturn the Review Committee’s recommendations."

However, since anti-nuclear groups and residents of areas near Wolseong outside Gyeongju, such as Ulsan, strongly oppose the expansion, it is difficult to say that the conflict has completely subsided. Anti-nuclear groups and residents who opposed the MACSTOR expansion under the banner of 'denuclearization' claim that the decision-making process and results leading to the expansion are unacceptable and should be invalidated. Their basic stance is that "the discussion results are bogus, and the government has not properly disclosed the data."

The day before, the Ulsan Movement Headquarters Against the Wolseong Nuclear Waste Site (composed of about 90 civic groups, labor unions, and political parties in Ulsan) criticized, "We cannot accept the public debate process and results regarding the additional construction of the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant spent nuclear fuel temporary storage facility (MACSTOR) and demand invalidation," adding, "MOTIE and the Review Committee excluded Ulsan citizens and conducted the public debate only with Gyeongju citizens." The group claimed, "This public debate was undemocratic, rushed, and bogus."

In this regard, the Justice Party held an 'Emergency Press Conference to Condemn the Non-transparent and One-sided Spent Nuclear Fuel Public Debate' at 11:10 a.m. on the same day, raising concerns that "the government did not disclose even basic data and pre-set the goal of 'additional MACSTOR construction,' then tailored the discussion results accordingly."

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