South Korea nuclear watchdog approves first dismantlement of nuclear power plant

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SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea’s Nuclear Safety and Security Commission approved on Thursday the first dismantlement of a nuclear power plant in the country, the Kori-1, which was permanently shut down in 2017 after 39 years of operation, it said in a statement.

The panel authorised a plan by the nuclear operator Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) to take down the plant at a cost of 1.1 trillion won ($810 million) over 12 years that would include the handling of approximately 170,000 tonnes of nuclear waste, it said.

The decision marks the first such operation by the country, the world’s fifth-largest producer of nuclear energy according to the International Atomic Energy Agency and a major global builder of atomic power plants, to decommission a nuclear plant.

The nuclear safety commission said it concluded the plan submitted by KHNP met the technical requirements under the country’s nuclear safety management laws.

Experts have said the dismantlement operation could help South Korea enter the global nuclear decommissioning market, which is now dominated by the United States with countries such as Japan and Germany having also entered the race.

South Korea generated 31.7% of its electric power from nuclear power stations in 2024, according to government data. It now operates 26 power plants and the Kori-1 power plant was the first to be commissioned for commercial operation in 1978.

($1 = 1,357.4100 won)

(Reporting by Jack Kim, Joyce LeeEditing by Ed Davies)