S. Korea Approves Decommissioning Of 1st Commercial Nuclear Reactor, Kori-1

SEOUL, June 26 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- South Korea has approved the decommissioning of the country's first commercial nuclear reactor, the now-defunct Kori-1 unit, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) said Thursday, also marking its first-ever decommissioning of a reactor.

According to the Yonhap News Agency, Unit 1 of the Kori nuclear power plant, located in the southeastern city of Busan, was permanently shut down in June 2017 after operating for about 40 years since April 1978.

In May last year, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) began chemical decontamination to remove radioactive materials from the reactor, marking a crucial first step in the decommissioning process.

The KHNP said the successful dismantling of the Kori-1 reactor will be significant for the nuclear and related industries as it will open up new business opportunities in the global reactor decommissioning market.

"The full dismantling of the Kori-1 reactor is expected to take 12 years due to challenges related to the construction of spent nuclear fuel storage facilities," an NSSC official said.

According to the review by the commission, KHNP operates three dedicated decommissioning units with a combined 108 personnel and existing departments have appropriately provided support for the project. The decommissioning work is expected to cost 1.07 trillion won (US$788.8 million), which is deemed appropriate.

Under the KHNP plan, spent nuclear fuel will be removed six years after approval, contaminated zones will be cleared in 10 years, and the site will be fully restored after 12 years.

A total of 171,708 tonnes of radioactive waste will be generated during decommissioning, including 65 tonnes of intermediate-level waste and 8,941 tonnes of low-level waste, and KHNP has established management plans for each waste type, the commission said.

Excluding Kori-1, South Korea has 26 nuclear reactors. Of these, 20 are currently in operation with a combined capacity of 20,854 megawatts electric (MWe).

Among the remaining six, five are undergoing regulatory maintenance, while the temporarily suspended Kori-2 reactor is awaiting government approval for extended operation after decades of service, the official said.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP