The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission is delaying a decision on restarting Unit 2 of the Gori Nuclear Power Plant in Gijang County, Busan, due to excessive regulation, the Korean Nuclear Society criticized on the 24th.
Following the 222nd meeting on Sept. 25, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission also put on hold the continued operation permit for Gori Unit 2 at the 223rd meeting held the day before. This is another failure to approve at a point 3 years and 6 months after Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) applied for continued operation in April 2022. Gori Unit 2 reached the end of its design life in April 2023.
In a position statement released the same day, the society said, "Gori Unit 2 underwent a rigorous safety review by the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) for 2 years and 7 months," and "as a result, the review was found to be valid and it was concluded that safety can be sufficiently ensured during the continued operation period."
It added, "The reason for the deferral this time is to additionally present, as reference material in the radiological environmental impact assessment report, whether there has been any change from the time of the operating license, which is merely a matter of document format unrelated to the plant's inherent safety."
Earlier, KHNP conducted an assessment reflecting the latest environmental conditions and confirmed through KINS's review that the maximum individual radiation dose meets all standards. The society said, "After more than three years of review, repeatedly delaying a verified-safe nuclear plant over formal requests for supplementary materials is an unnecessary waste of time caused by excessive regulation."
It also emphasized, "During the 2 years and 6 months that Gori Unit 2 has been offline, the expense to replace the electricity that a 685 MW-class reactor should have produced is being passed on intact to the public."
According to the society, even if a 10-year continued operation is approved, it applies from the end of the design life, not from the time of approval, so Gori Unit 2 is expected to actually operate for about seven years. Considering that equipment upgrades, operating change permits, and related construction must proceed even after the continued operation permit, calculations indicate the actual operating period will be further reduced.
The society also warned that if issues raised in the Gori Unit 2 review are repeated in other nuclear plant reviews, the reviews—taking two to three years per reactor—would overlap and again disrupt the national power supply and demand. Currently, Gori Units 3 and 4 are already offline, and the design life of seven reactors will additionally expire by 2030.