Start of Operating License Review for Shin-Kori Nuclear Units 5 and 6... Expected to Take 1 Year and 3 Months

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] The review process for the operation license of Shin-Kori Nuclear Power Plant Units 5 and 6 has officially begun. The final approval is expected to be granted after deliberation and resolution by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC). The review is anticipated to take approximately one year and three months.

On the 25th, the NSSC announced at its 155th plenary meeting held in the NSSC main conference room in Jung-gu that it had received the operation license review plan for Shin-Kori Units 5 and 6 from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS).

The expected completion dates for Shin-Kori Units 5 and 6, currently under construction in Ulju-gun, Ulsan Metropolitan City, are March 2024 and March 2025, respectively.

The project operator, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), applied for the operation license on August 5, 2020. Since then, KINS has been reviewing whether KHNP’s application documents have the formal completeness necessary to commence the main review.

KINS plans to conduct the safety review for the operation of Shin-Kori Units 5 and 6 over approximately one year and three months and will report the review results to the Nuclear Safety Expert Committee and the NSSC.

Subsequently, the NSSC will make the final decision on whether to grant the operation license for Shin-Kori Units 5 and 6 based on KINS’s review results and the Nuclear Safety Expert Committee’s evaluation.

Meanwhile, on the same day, the NSSC approved the 'Operation Change License' related to Hanbit Units 1 and 2, which was applied for by KHNP. Additionally, the NSSC received a report from KINS regarding the license review for the nuclear fuel processing project (Ara Research Building) of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.

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