As dismantlement work has begun on Kori Unit 1, Korea's first commercial nuclear power plant, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), the client, and Doosan Enerbility, which is leading the dismantling project, are working to craft safety measures. This is the first nuclear plant dismantlement in the country's history, and a collapse during dismantling at the Ulsan thermal power plant earlier this month has highlighted the risks of dismantling aging power plants.
According to industry sources on the 1st, KHNP and Doosan Enerbility, the main contractor of the consortium for the "Kori Unit 1 noncontrolled area equipment dismantling project," began drawing up measures to strengthen industrial safety earlier this month. After an emergency meeting following the collapse at the Ulsan thermal power plant on the 6th of last month, they decided to create specific guidelines.
KHNP and Doosan Enerbility plan to prepare enhanced industrial safety measures before major equipment removal and share them with consortium partners such as HJ Shipbuilding & Construction Co. and KEPCO KPS Co. (KPS). The Kori Unit 1 dismantling proceeds in the order of dismantling preparation → major equipment removal → radioactive waste handling and site restoration. It is currently in preparation, with about four to five months left until the equipment removal phase.
Tensions rose further as a boiler tower collapse occurred at the Ulsan thermal power plant right before the Kori Unit 1 dismantling construction. HJ Shipbuilding & Construction Co., which is the contractor for the Ulsan thermal power plant dismantling, is also part of the Kori Unit 1 dismantling consortium. Because bidding eligibility was limited to corporations with experience in dismantling power plants, a small number of construction firms are handling dismantling at multiple plants.
There is also a possibility of an impact on the Kori Unit 1 dismantling project. After the Ulsan thermal power plant accident, HJ Shipbuilding & Construction Co. halted work at all construction sites and re-inspected the sites. After 10 days of inspections, work resumed at all sites except the accident site.
Depending on the accident investigation results, HJ Shipbuilding & Construction Co. could face government sanctions. The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) said it will conduct special supervision for eight weeks starting today on the company's headquarters and 29 construction sites with a high risk of accidents. The plan is to closely examine whether HJ Shipbuilding & Construction Co. violated laws such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Labor Standards Act. The cause of the Ulsan thermal power plant accident and any legal violations have not yet been determined.
However, industry sources see little chance that HJ Shipbuilding & Construction Co. will drop out of the Kori Unit 1 dismantling consortium. If a construction firm is sanctioned by the government, its eligibility may be restricted in future bidding, but responsibility is often not imposed on past contracts. The Ulsan thermal power plant accident occurred after the Kori Unit 1 dismantling consortium contract was finalized.
An industry official said, "The consortium was created to reduce risks so that no problems arise in the dismantling process. Given its structure, it seems difficult to reorganize the consortium," adding, "If a particular corporation within the consortium runs into trouble, there is a way to adjust the consortium equity ratio through the consent of other members and the client's approval."
Kori Unit 1, which began commercial operation in 1978, was permanently shut down in June 2017 after 40 years of operation. It then went through dismantling plan development and the regulator's technical review and supplementation, and received final approval for the dismantling plan from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission in Jul. This month it began dismantling work, with the goal of completion by 2037.
A KHNP official said, "We will work to ensure that the Kori Unit 1 dismantling project proceeds with industrial safety as the top priority."