Gori Unit 2 Halts Power Generation After 40 Years... Impact of Moon's Nuclear Phase-Out Policy

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Aims to Restart Operations by June 2025

View of Gori Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 to 4 in Gijang-gun, Busan [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Kori Unit 2 reactor in Gijang County, Busan, has ceased power generation after 40 years due to the expiration of its operating license.

According to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power on the 9th, Kori Unit 2 stopped reactor operation at 10 p.m. the previous day as its 40-year operating license period ended.

Kori Unit 2 was the third commercial nuclear power plant in South Korea, starting commercial operation on April 9, 1983.

Had the "continued operation" procedure been initiated between 2019 and 2020, it could have been restarted without interruption, but the Moon Jae-in administration's nuclear phase-out policy at the time prevented the start of this procedure.

"Continued operation" refers to the process of evaluating the safety of a nuclear power plant that has reached its expected lifespan and continuing operation if no issues are found.

After the expiration of the operating license, continuing operation requires safety reviews and facility improvements, which take about 3 to 4 years.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power was unable to apply for continued operation within the legal deadline due to the previous government's nuclear phase-out policy, and ultimately, Kori Unit 2 ceased operation the previous day.

However, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration is accelerating efforts to restore the nuclear ecosystem, including the restart of Kori Unit 2. On the 30th of last month, it applied to the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) for a license amendment to operate Kori Unit 2.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power aims to bring the schedule forward as much as possible, targeting the restart of Kori Unit 2 by June 2025.

Meanwhile, over the past 40 years, Kori Unit 2 has produced 195,560 GWh of electricity, enough to supply approximately 3.3 million Busan citizens for about 10 years.

As of last year, the settlement price per major power source in South Korea was lowest for nuclear power at 52.5 KRW per kWh.

If Kori Unit 2 replaces all power generation from the high-cost LNG, it is expected to reduce the trade deficit by about 1.17 billion USD (approximately 1.5 trillion KRW) annually.

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