The Gori Units 3 and 4 and Hanbit Units 1 and 2 nuclear reactors, which have been shut down for several months due to the expiration of their design life, cleared the first hurdle toward restart after a third round of deliberation.
On the 15th, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission held its 16th meeting and approved the accident management plan approval proposals for Gori Units 3 and 4 in Gijang County, Busan, and Hanbit Units 1 and 2 in Yeonggwang County, Gwangju, South Jeonnam Province, as originally proposed.
With all nine members of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission present at the meeting on the day, the approval proposal passed with seven votes in favor and two against. The voting threshold requires a majority (five) of the total membership to approve.
An accident management plan is a document outlining response strategies, related equipment, and implementation systems for minimizing damage in the event of a major accident at a nuclear power plant. As it serves as a criterion for determining whether a reactor that has exceeded its design life can continue to operate safely, it is considered the first hurdle toward restarting a nuclear reactor. Previously, two meetings held in September failed to reach a conclusion, leading to this third session.
Following the approval of the accident management plans on the day, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission will begin full-scale deliberation on the operational change permit proposals for the continued operation of Gori Units 3 and 4. The decision on whether to restart Gori Units 3 and 4 is expected to become clear as early as mid-November. Gori Units 3 and 4 have been shut down due to the expiration of their design life in September 2024 and August 2025, respectively.
In the case of Gori Unit 2, which was approved for continued operation and restarted last April, its accident management plan was passed in October of last year, and continued operation was permitted at the next meeting held thereafter.
in TECH
