Early closure for Korea's oldest operating reactor

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Unit 1 of the Wolsong nuclear power plant will be retired prior to the expiration of its operating licence in 2022, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced as it also cancelled plans for four new reactors. The move is in line with the South Korean government's policy to phase out the use of nuclear energy.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in was one of seven candidates in the May 2017 presidential election who signed an agreement in March for a "common policy" for phasing out the country's use of nuclear energy. At a ceremony last June to mark the permanent shutdown of Kori unit 1, he said plans for new power reactors will be cancelled and the operating periods of existing units will not be extended beyond their design life.

South Korea has 24 power reactors in operation with a combined generating capacity of 22,505 MWe. Together they provide about one-third of the country's electricity. Two new reactors are currently under construction. The government has pledged to scrap new nuclear programs and not to extend the operation of existing facilities to decrease the number of reactors to 14 by 2038.

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Source: World Nuclear News