Missed 2020 Extension Application Period... Restart Earliest in 2 Years
The Gori Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2, the third commercial reactor to begin operation in South Korea, will be shut down on the 8th of next month. This is due to the expiration of its 40-year design lifespan since it began operation in April 1983. The government plans to immediately initiate the operational change approval process for the continued operation (life extension) of Gori Unit 2, but it is expected that an operational gap is inevitable as the approval process will take at least two years.
According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 29th, the initial operating license for Gori Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2, located in Gijang County, Busan, will expire on the 8th of next month. The ministry stated, "Due to the previous administration’s nuclear phase-out policy, the procedure for the continued operation of Gori Unit 2 was delayed, making a temporary shutdown unavoidable." To continue operation without interruption, the life extension process should have been carried out 3 to 4 years before the license expiration, around 2019 to 2020, but the extension application was not submitted within the legal deadline due to the nuclear phase-out policy.
No Earthquake Damage, Gori Nuclear Power Plant Operating Normally(Busan=Yonhap News) Reporter Jo Jeong-ho = On the 16th, the Gori Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 to 4 in Gijang-gun, Busan. Although a magnitude 5.4 earthquake occurred in the Pohang area, Gyeongbuk on the 15th, Gori Unit 2 (far left) and Shin-Gori Unit 2 are operating normally. Gori Unit 1 is permanently shut down, and Gori Units 3 and 4, as well as Shin-Gori Unit 1, are under scheduled maintenance. 2017.11.16
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Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, the operator, is tentatively targeting June 2025 for the restart of Gori Unit 2. Fortunately, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration has been actively supporting the prompt restart of Gori Unit 2 by immediately initiating related procedures since the transition committee period in March last year. KHNP submitted a safety evaluation report to the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission in April of the same year and proceeded with the process of gathering local residents’ opinions. The application for the operational change approval of Gori Unit 2 is also planned to be submitted within this month. Additionally, to prevent similar cases like the shutdown of Gori Unit 2, the government revised the Enforcement Decree of the Nuclear Safety Act at the end of last year to advance the period for submitting life extension applications from 5 to 2 years before expiration to 10 to 5 years before expiration. This measure is to ensure that operators and regulatory agencies have sufficient time for safety verification and review.
The government expects that once Gori Unit 2 is restarted, the expansion of nuclear power generation will contribute to stabilizing electricity prices. By replacing all high-cost liquefied natural gas (LNG) power generation with lower-cost nuclear power, it is expected to reduce the trade deficit by approximately $1.17 billion annually based on last year’s figures. Despite the shutdown of Gori Unit 2, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy plans to strengthen responses to ensure there is no disruption in power supply and demand. If necessary, they will adjust generator maintenance schedules, utilize demand response (DR) resources, and increase generator output as short-term supply and demand measures. The ministry stated, "We will support the prompt continuation of operation of Gori Unit 2 on the premise of safety without any setbacks."
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