As the government discusses a plan to extend the additional operation period of nuclear power plants from the current 10 years to 20 years to secure large-scale electricity needed for three mega projects, there are reportedly differences among ministries.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the lead ministry for the mega projects, is said to hold the position that an extension is necessary. In contrast, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, which conducts safety reviews of nuclear power plants, effectively opposes it, saying there is no problem under the current system.
◇ Whether to extend the life of existing nuclear plants will decide the success or failure of the mega projects
Under the Nuclear Safety Act, to continue operating a nuclear plant whose design life has ended, it must undergo a review by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission. If a majority (five) of the nine Commissioners agree, the period can be extended by up to 10 years.
Earlier, Minister Kim Seong-hwan of the climate ministry said at a full meeting of the National Assembly's Climate, Energy and Environment and Labor Committee on Aug. 11 that the ministry would review which is more reasonable between 10 years and 20 years for the additional operation period.
The climate ministry is reviewing whether to extend the additional operation period because of the mega projects. The government expects electricity demand to increase by 30 gigawatts (GW) by 2040 due to the mega projects. That matches the 26 GW installed capacity of the 26 reactors currently operating in Korea.
However, among the 26 reactors, 10 will reach the end of their design life by 2030 and four more by 2040. If the operation periods of existing reactors are not extended in time, the plan to complete power supply to the semiconductor cluster by 2041 could face setbacks.
◇ Extension reviews can take more than three years... Nuclear Safety and Security Commission says there is no problem if applications come early
The problem is that the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission's extension reviews take a long time. For Kori Unit 2, the operator Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power filed for an extension in April 2022, but the commission granted approval in Nov. last year, after three and a half years. Because the extension period is counted from April 2023, when operations stopped, the actual operation period was shortened to seven years and five months instead of 10 years.
KHNP and the climate ministry believe that increasing the additional operation period from 10 years to 20 years would alleviate this problem.
On the other hand, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission holds that, considering safety, an extension review should be conducted every 10 years. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommends that operating reactors undergo a comprehensive check every 10 years on design technology, functions, and component aging. For reactors whose design life has ended, the commission says these standards should be applied strictly.
The commission also says it can make an extension decision before the design life ends if KHNP simply applies in advance. In 2022, the commission revised the enforcement decree to allow applications for operation period extensions five to 10 years before the design life expires. Previously, applications could be made two to five years prior, but the rules were adjusted to allow earlier filing.
KHNP's inability to apply early for operation period extensions is also influenced by shifts in energy policy with each administration. For example, Kori Unit 2 had a design life expiration in April 2023, so under the rules at the time, an extension application could have been filed by 2021, but KHNP only did so in 2022. With the Moon Jae-in administration pursuing a nuclear phaseout policy, extending reactor operation periods was not possible.