Whether the continued operation of Gori Units 3 and 4 in Gijang County, Busan, which have been halted for several months, will be approved could be decided as early as this month.
The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission will hold its 17th meeting on the 27th to review the 'Continued Operation Permit Proposal for Gori Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4.'
The continued operation permit proposal for Gori Units 3 and 4 was first put on the agenda at the 16th meeting held on the 15th, but no conclusion was reached.
However, the approval proposal for the accident management plan for Gori Units 3 and 4 was passed as originally proposed. The accident management plan is a document containing response strategies, related equipment, and implementation systems in the event of a major accident at a nuclear power plant. It is called the first hurdle in determining whether a nuclear power plant that has exceeded its design life can be safely restarted.
Since the accident management plan, which includes core contents such as nuclear power plant equipment and safety standards, has been approved, cautious predictions are emerging within the nuclear industry that continued operation of Gori Units 3 and 4 could be approved by the end of the year.
Gori Unit 2, which was the first domestic nuclear power plant to apply for continued operation and passed review, was restarted in April after its continued operation was approved following three rounds of review.
One of the issues at the time was the radiation environmental impact assessment permit documents for Gori Unit 2. Some commissioners argued that the radiation environmental impact assessment submitted by HanSuwon should be compared with the radiation environmental assessment at the time of Gori Unit 2's operating permit and the latest environmental assessment.
Attention is being paid to whether a similar situation will repeat in the continued operation review for Gori Units 3 and 4. At the accident management plan review held on the 15th, there were pointed out that it was necessary to supplement the contents of the radiation environmental impact assessment.
Meanwhile, Gori Unit 3 halted operations in September 2024 due to the expiration of its design life. Unit 4 has been suspended from operation since August 2025. If the continued operation permit proposal for Gori Units 3 and 4 is passed at the meeting on the 27th, operations will resume several months later after preparation by HanSuwon and inspection by institutional investors.
in TECH
