Shutdown of Kori reactor 1 could herald new approach to nuclear energy

Posted on : 2017-06-10 13:53 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
President Moon has pledged to shut down any reactor that has reached the end of its original lifespan and halt construction of new reactors
Kori-1
Kori-1

A final decision has been made to permanently shut down Kori-1, South Korea’s first nuclear power reactor. The next question is whether the shutdown, which marks the first reactor decommissioning procedure for any of South Korea’s nuclear power plants, heralds a reworking of current energy policy and its focus on atomic energy. With the Moon Jae-in administration’s pledge to “fully reexamine” nuclear power policy, it could now begin an active push away from nuclear power.

At a meeting on June 9, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) voted through a plan submitted by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to permit operation changes for the permanent shutdown of Kori-1.

“Following a focused examination of the safety of the operation facilities after a shutdown, including storage tanks for spent nuclear fuel, emergency electrical systems, and radioactive waste disposal system, it was confirmed at the meeting that Kori-1 can be safely maintained and managed even after a permanent shutdown,” the NSSC said. With the NSSC’s decision on June 9 granting the final nuclear regulatory organization approval needed for Kori-1’s permanent shutdown, KHNP will have to halt operation of the reactor as of midnight on June 18.

Kori-1’s shutdown had been in the cards for some time. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) national energy committee recommended it on June 12, 2015, citing the reactor’s cost-effectiveness. At a board meeting five days later, KHNP decided not to apply for Kori-1’s continued operation. The NSSC’s decision on June 9 came in response to a KHNP draft submitted on June 24, 2016, for permission of operational changes for a permanent shutdown, while also including results from a Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) review conducted over the past year on the reactor’s safety.

Kori-1 was built with technology from Westinghouse, a US company, and began commercial operation on Apr. 29, 1978, as South Korea’s first nuclear power plant. The reactor was designed for a life span of 30 years, but in December 2007 the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) accepted a request by KHNP to allow it to extend the reactor's operation for another ten years. At the time, civic groups and residents in the Busan area criticized the extension on the grounds that the safety of continued operation of Kori-1 was not assured. After the 2011 accident at the nuclear plant in Fukushima, Japan, questions about the plant's safety continued to arise, leading to vociferous objections to yet another extension.

The decision to decommission Kori-1 increases the possibility that a policy against nuclear power will gain strength. President Moon Jae-in has already pledged to shut down any nuclear plant immediately when it has reached the end of its original lifespan and to completely halt any plans for new nuclear power plants.

The question of whether construction of the new Kori-5 and Kori-6 reactors will be stopped is drawing a lot of interest. KHNP has announced that the two reactors are already 27.6% completed. Although during his campaign, Moon said he would halt any new construction on Kori-5 and Kori-6, the nuclear-power sector and local residents are opposed to such a move. On the other hand, the Korean Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM) insists that President Moon follow through on stopping construction, citing the precedent of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party, which announced a policy opposing nuclear power and halted construction of the Lungmen Nuclear Power Plant fourth reactor when it was already 98% complete.

There is also a controversy over the continued operation of Wolseong Reactor No. 1. Residents of Gyeongju say that there was an irregularity in the process of extending Wolseong-1's operation till Nov. 20, 2022, and have applied to the NSSC and KHNP to have the permit for continued operation rescinded. A final decision is expected at the end of this month, and if the application is granted, Wolseong-1 will have to be shut down immediately.

Meanwhile, the Blue House has appointed Seoul Energy Dream Center Director Kim Hye-ae, who was previously a joint representative of Green Korea United, as secretary of Climate and Environment and Yeom Gwang-hee, an expert on Germany's denuclearization policies, as administrator of the Climate and Environment Secretariat. This suggests that the development of the government's denuclearization policies will center around that office.

By Kim Sung-hwan, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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