10 Nuclear Power Plants Face Continued Operation Test... "Must Operate Even After Lifespan Expiry" [AI Era Electric Power is National Strength]⑦

Field Report from Villages Near Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant
"Continued Operation Expected to Revive the Local Economy"
8.46 GW of Capacity to Reach End of Life by 2030
Building New Plants Requires Extensive Land and Significant Costs

Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant overview (Units 4, 3, 1, 1 from left). Provided by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power

On the 20th of last month, in Yangnam-myeon, Gyeongju City, Gyeongsangbuk-do, where the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) Wolseong Headquarters is located, a banner reading "Exercising Retention Rights" was hung on an unfinished building at the village entrance. Villas around the road appeared to be abandoned and left in a dilapidated state, as if no one lived there.

Resident Ha Hong-ryeol, who has lived in Yangnam-myeon for 35 years and runs a sashimi restaurant, said, "If Wolseong Units 2, 3, and 4 continue to operate, the local economy seems likely to revive," adding, "If safety is guaranteed, there is no reason to oppose continued operation." This indicates that he would not necessarily oppose continuous nuclear power generation if it is possible after the design life expires through proper review.

Since December last year, KHNP has been conducting a public review of the draft Radiation Environmental Impact Assessment (REIA) report for the continued operation of Wolseong Units 2, 3, and 4. The Radiation Environmental Impact Assessment evaluates the radiation effects on the environment (dose to the general public) caused by the continued operation of nuclear power plants. The REIA report, reflecting residents' opinions gathered through the public review, is used by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) for the review of the plant operation change permit.

"Continued Operation Will Revive the Local Economy"

Yangnam-myeon in Gyeongju is the village closest to the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant. In the event of a nuclear accident, it would be the first area to suffer damage. Nevertheless, residents showed little sensitivity toward the continued operation of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant. When visiting the Yangnam-myeon Community Center, where the draft REIA report for public review was available, only about 50 residents had signed the viewing register so far. A staff member at the community center said, "Residents' interest is not very high."

The reason continued operation is not a major issue in this area is due to the experience with Wolseong Unit 1 several years ago. Resident Ha Hong-ryeol said, "When the decision was made to continue operating Unit 1, many people were worried, but it turned out there were no major problems," adding, "When the early shutdown of Unit 1 was decided, many residents were actually disappointed."

An employee at the Yangnam-myeon Community Center in Gyeongju is reviewing the draft of the Radiation Environmental Impact Assessment provided for public inspection. Photo by Kang Hee-jong

Wolseong Unit 1 was the first pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) in South Korea. After its design life expired in 2012, it began continued operation in 2015 with approval from the NSSC. At that time, opinions among residents were divided, leading to lawsuits. After the Moon Jae-in administration took office, KHNP suddenly decided in June 2018 to shut down the unit early, citing a lack of economic feasibility, leaving lingering doubts.

The Dong-Gyeongju area, including Yangnam-myeon, Gampo-myeon, and Munmu Daewang-myeon, which are closest to the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant, receive various supports under the Act on Support for Areas Surrounding Power Plants. Using these funds, residents of Yangnam-myeon jointly operate a seawater bathhouse and engage in other profit-making projects.

Even in downtown Gyeongju, which is farther from the Wolseong plant, concerns about operation after the design life expiration were not significant. Jeong Hee-geun, head of the Gyeongju Regional Self-Support Center, said, "Even with the same car, some can only be driven 100,000 km, while others can go 200,000 km," adding, "If equipment is well maintained, I think continued operation is not a problem." He also said, "Wolseong Unit 1 was forcibly shut down by the government, but the majority of Gyeongju citizens consider continued operation of Units 2, 3, and 4 as a given."

However, there is no guarantee that the operation of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant will proceed smoothly in the future. Environmental groups in Gyeongju and Ulsan strongly oppose the continued operation of reactors whose design life has expired. They are expected to raise their voices at upcoming public hearings. Last year, a public hearing at Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 and 2 in Yeonggwang, Jeollanam-do, which had already undergone a resident opinion collection process, ended in disruption.

There is strong opposition from residents in the Ulsan area near Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant because they belong to a different local government and do not receive proper compensation. Jeong said, "Thanks to the monitoring and checks by environmental groups, nuclear power plant operations have become more transparent and safety has been strengthened," but added, "I hope it does not become too ideological."

"Continued Operation Reduces New Nuclear Plant Construction Costs"

Continued operation of nuclear power plants holds significant meaning in responding promptly to the rapidly increasing electricity demand in the AI era. By 2030, ten reactors, including Wolseong Units 2, 3, and 4, will reach the end of their licensed operation periods. The total installed capacity of these reactors is 8.46 GW. Building new power plants to generate this amount of electricity requires enormous costs and time. Replacing this power with renewable energy would involve extensive land and sea development, incurring massive economic and social costs.

Already, Kori Unit 2 (stopped in April 2023) and Kori Unit 3 (scheduled to stop in September 2024) have ceased operation. Kori Unit 4 is expected to stop operation in August this year due to license expiration. Hanbit Units 1 and 2 will reach license expiration in December this year and September next year, respectively. Hanul Units 1 and 2 will expire in December 2027 and December 2028. Wolseong Units 2, 3, and 4 will expire in November 2026, December 2027, and February 2029, respectively.

Despite this situation, the approval process for continued operation is slow. Even Kori Unit 2, which has been shut down for two years, has not passed the NSSC's continued operation review. NSSC plans to complete the review by the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) by the first half of this year. After KINS's review, the continued operation must pass the Nuclear Safety Expert Committee review and NSSC meetings to be finalized.

KHNP only submitted the Periodic Safety Review (PSR) for Kori Unit 2's continued operation in April 2022, just one year before the license expiration. The application for operation change approval was made only in March 2023.

Actual Continued Operation Period Is 7-8 Years, Not 10

The delay in application was largely due to inconsistent government policies. The previous Moon Jae-in administration, which advocated nuclear phase-out, was negative about continued operation. With Kori Unit 1 and Wolseong Unit 1 permanently shut down, momentum for continued operation was lost. After the Yoon Suk-yeol administration took office in 2022 and confirmed policies to restore the nuclear ecosystem, KHNP hurriedly prepared for continued operation.

As the continued operation review intensifies, calls to improve related systems are growing. In South Korea, continued operation reviews must be conducted every 10 years under the Nuclear Safety Act. However, even this legally mandated 10-year period is not properly guaranteed due to the complexity and length of the review process.

South Korea evaluates safety by adding the Periodic Safety Review (PSR) recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to the US License Renewal (LR) system's major equipment life evaluation (LER) and Radiation Environmental Impact Assessment (REIA). Separately, an operation change permit application reflecting residents' opinions on the draft REIA report must be approved by the NSSC.

According to Professor Moon Joo-hyun of Dankook University's Department of Energy Engineering, the domestic continued operation review period is 3.5 years, whereas in the US, it takes 22 to 30 months depending on whether a public hearing is held.

For Kori Unit 2, currently under review, even if restarted as planned, the actual operation period is expected to be only 7 to 8 years. Considering that maintenance and equipment replacement for continued operation cost hundreds of billions of won, this is inevitably a waste of resources. For pressurized heavy water reactors like Wolseong, pressure tube replacement is required, increasing preparation time and costs, potentially reigniting economic feasibility debates. The review process also involves high social costs such as public opinion division and resident conflicts.

Experts point out that the complex continued operation licensing procedures should be simplified and the 10-year continued operation period guaranteed. They argue that the current regulation, which counts 10 years from the design life expiration date, should be changed to 10 years from the approval date. Some even suggest extending the review cycle to a maximum of 20 years. The US and Japan already conduct continued operation reviews every 20 years.

Gyeongju citizens were generally positive about extending the continued operation review cycle. Resident Jeong Han-geun, met in downtown Gyeongju, said, "Each continued operation review costs hundreds of billions of won, which ultimately comes from electricity bills and taxes paid by the public," adding, "If safety management and supervision are thorough, extending to 20 years is acceptable."

Professor Moon Joo-hyun said, "In the short term, the review process should be streamlined to allow 10 years of continued operation without gaps," and "In the long term, the Nuclear Safety Act should be amended to allow operators to choose a continued operation period within 20 years." Efforts to increase public trust in continued operation of nuclear power plants should also be pursued.

Park Chung-kwon, a member of the National Assembly from the People Power Party, who held a seminar in January titled 'Is the Nuclear Power Plant Continued Operation System Appropriate?', is considering proposing a bill to extend the continued operation cycle to a maximum of 20 years.

54 US Nuclear Reactors Operating Over 40 Years... "Restarting Previously Shut Reactors"

Overseas, even nuclear reactors that had completely stopped are being restarted to supply power for data centers. In September last year, Microsoft (MS) signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with US power company Constellation for power from the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1. This plant, which had been shut down since 2019, plans to restart in 2028 after maintenance and regulatory approval.

Three Mile Island is where a core meltdown accident occurred in Unit 2 in 1979. Although no radiation exposure was confirmed at the time, fear of nuclear power increased, leading to the cancellation of many new nuclear plant construction plans in the US. Unit 1 also stopped operation in 2019 due to financial difficulties. Symbolic of nuclear phase-out, Three Mile Island is now restarting in the data center era. MS plans to purchase all power generated from this plant under the long-term 20-year contract.

As of June 2023, 84 of the 93 operating nuclear reactors in the US are either in continued operation or have received approval for it. Of the 93 reactors, 90 are over 30 years old, and 54 have been operating for more than 40 years. Globally, it is common for reactors to continue operation after their design life expires.

Of the 410 operating reactors worldwide, 57% have been approved for continued operation. 67% have been operating for over 30 years, and 31% have exceeded 40 years. In 2021, the US extended the operating license of the Surry Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 and 2 in Virginia from 60 to 80 years. Professor Moon Joo-hyun of Dankook University said, "Continued operation is a globally proven technology, and advanced nuclear countries like the US are actively promoting it."