The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission on June 26 approved the decommissioning plan for Kori Unit 1, the nation's first nuclear power plant, submitted by the public company Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power. Shown is the reactor located in the town of Jangan-eup in Busan's Gijang-gun County. (Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power)

By Xu Aiying 

The country's first commercial nuclear power plant has entered the full-scale decommissioning process after 40 years of operation.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission on June 26 reviewed the plan to decommission Kori Unit 1 submitted by the public company Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and gave final approval for the shutdown.

Based in the town of Jangan-eup in Busan's Gijang-gun County, the facility went online in April 1978 and was permanently closed in June 2017. Following relevant regulations, KHNP in May 2021 applied for approval for decommissioning.

Following the approval, the company plans to dismantle the reactor in stages over a 12-year period and restore the site. The decommissioning work will be in the following order: preparation, removal of major facilities, disposal of radioactive waste and site restoration.

The plan is to remove spent nuclear fuel by 2031, remove radioactive systems and finish dismantlement by 2037. For this process, KHNP's core principles are to prioritize radiation safety management, environmental protection and communication with the regional community.

This project is considered Korea's entry into the global market for nuclear plant decommissioning, a sector valued at KRW 500 trillion. Only the U.S., Germany, Japan and Switzerland have experience in this area, with the U.S. being the only one to have decommissioned a commercial reactor.

xuaiy@korea.kr