New Build

South Korea / KHNP Closes Wolsong-1 Prematurely And Drops New-Build Plans, Reports Say

By Kamen Kraev
18 June 2018

18 Jun (NucNet): Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) will shut down the Wolsong-1 nuclear plant unit before the end of its lifetime in 2022, South Korean media quoted Chung Jae-hoon, KHNP’s chief executive officer, as saying.

Mr Chung said the company’s board of directors has recently given the greenlight for the shutdown, which is in line with the government’s plans to reduce nuclear power in the national energy mix.

Mr Chung also said that KHNP will drop plans to build four new units at two sites located on South Korea’s southeast coast – two at Cheonji and two at Daejin.

Wolsong-1, a 657-MW Candu 6 unit, began commercial operation in 1983. Its 30-year operational licence expired in 2012 but was extended for another 10 years to 2022.

KHNP said earlier that it will resume construction of the Shin-Hanul-1 and -2 and the Shin-Kori-4, -5 and -6 nuclear reactor units despite the government’s plans to curb nuclear.

According to the Yonhap news agency, a December 2017 plan by president Moon Jae-in’s government has pledged to scrap new-build programmes and will not extend the lifetime of existing nuclear units with the goal to decrease the number of reactors to 14 in 2038.

Mr Moon had campaigned on a programme of cutting South Korea's reliance on coal and nuclear in its energy mix and assumed office in May 2017 following a general election.

South Korea has 24 nuclear reactor units in commercial operation and they generated 27% of the country’s electricity in 2017, according to data by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

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