Hyundai Engineering & Construction: "Nuclear Decommissioning Expertise Gained in the U.S. Can Be Applied to Kori Unit 1"

Hyundai Engineering & Construction announced on July 3 that it plans to apply its experience from nuclear power plant decommissioning projects in the United States to domestic decommissioning projects, including Kori Unit 1. Kori Unit 1 is the first nuclear power plant in South Korea to receive approval for decommissioning, but the contractor has not yet been selected. However, since Hyundai Engineering & Construction was responsible for the original construction and has experience with interim refurbishments, there is a possibility that the company may also be tasked with the decommissioning work.

This company is the first among South Korean construction firms to participate in a nuclear power plant decommissioning project in the United States. Nuclear power plant decommissioning is a process that takes at least 10 years, involving permanent shutdown, safety management, spent nuclear fuel removal, facility dismantling, and site restoration. Globally, only 25 cases of completed decommissioning have been recorded. In 2022, Hyundai Engineering & Construction signed a cooperation agreement with Holtec in the United States for the decommissioning of Indian Point Units 1 to 3 and is currently working on the project. Specialized staff have been dispatched to the site to exchange and acquire expertise directly in the field.

Decommissioning work at Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant in the United States. Provided by Hyundai Engineering & Construction

Since 1971, starting with Kori Unit 1, Hyundai Engineering & Construction has built 24 Korean-type nuclear power plants. The company has also gained experience related to decommissioning by participating in facility improvement projects for aging nuclear plants, such as the steam generator replacement at Kori Unit 1. In the Indian Point project in the United States, Hyundai Engineering & Construction stated that it is jointly carrying out key decommissioning processes, including cutting reactor structures, dismantling contaminated equipment, removing and transporting spent nuclear fuel and storage facilities, demolishing buildings, and managing waste.

Domestically, the company secured relevant technology by undertaking the "Safety Assessment for Decontamination and Regulatory Release of Decommissioned Nuclear Power Plant Sites" project commissioned by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power in 2019. Since last year, Hyundai Engineering & Construction has been conducting services to assess the site conditions of permanently shut-down nuclear power plants such as Kori Unit 1 and Wolsong Unit 1 and to establish decommissioning procedures. In effect, the company is handling the preliminary phase of nuclear decommissioning.

A Hyundai Engineering & Construction representative stated, "The global nuclear decommissioning market is estimated to reach 500 trillion won by 2050," adding, "We are building diverse capabilities, including not only all necessary technologies such as contaminated soil restoration, but also management of aging facilities, dismantling of structures, dry storage of spent nuclear fuel, and disposal of radioactive waste."