Current Status of Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Safety Regulations

Transcription

1 RATIS RAdiation Technology Information System 2017 KARA ISSUE PAPER No.05 Current Status of Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Safety Regulations Analysis of Trend Radiation Technology Information Service

2 2017 KARA Issue Paper No.05 Current Status of Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Safety Regulations CONTENTS 03 Introduction 04 Current Status of Preparations for Permanent Shutdown and Decommissioning of Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor 07 Legal Regulation Framework Relevant to Nuclear Power Safety for Permanent Shutdown and Decommissioning 13 Current Status of Permanent Shutdown and Decommissioning in South Korea 19 Conclusions and Suggestions Ji Yong Ki Decommissioning and Nuclear Fuel Cycle Project Manager, Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety

3 Current Status of Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Safety Regulations 01 Introduction The Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. Ltd. (KHNP) decided in June, 2015 not to request a secondary continued operating licence (from June 19, 2017 to June 18, 2027) for the Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor, which is Korea's first commercial nuclear power plant. As a result, the Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor will become the first nuclear power plant to be shut down. According to the decision, the Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor, which started commercial electric power generation in 1978, will be permanently shut down at its design lifetime expiration date in June, next year, and decommissioned with no further commercial operation. The Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor had already reached its design lifetime of 30 years in June, 2007, but has been operating under an extension of the design lifetime following a safety review by the regulatory institution at the request of the KHNP, for the primary continued operation period (from June 19, 2007 to June 18, 2017). The decision to permanently shut down and decommission the Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor is a milestone in the nuclear power industry in South Korea. It is undeniable that nuclear power generation has enabled electric power generation at low cost, serving as a foundation for the growth of South Korea's industries. South Korea accomplished technical independence in the field of nuclear power generation, and recently exported nuclear power plants developed using South Korea's own technologies to the United Arab Emirates. However, in addition to the design, construction, and operation of nuclear power plants, South Korea now has another important mission, which is the permanent shutdown of nuclear power plants and the recovery of the sites to their original state KARA Issue Paper No.05 03

4 02 Current Status of Preparations for the Permanent Shutdown and Decommissioning of Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor Article 21 (Criteria for Licence s), Paragraph 2, of the Nuclear Safety Act specifically expresses that an operator needs to obtain permission to amend his/her licence pursuant to Article 20 (Operating Licence s), Paragraph 2 of the same Act, to permanently suspend the operation of the nuclear power reactor. Regarding permanent shutdown, on June 16, 2015 the KHNP accepted the recommendation of permanent shutdown from the Energy Commission under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and publicly announced the acceptance on June 18, According to the Nuclear Safety Act, after about a one year period of preparing the licensing document for the operation amendment for permanent shutdown, the KHNP requested the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission to approve the shutdown on June 20, After a safety review by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, the Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor was eventually shut down on June 18 (24:00), The safety review for the permanent shutdown of the Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor was carried out according to the Safety Review Guidelines for Nuclear Power Plant Permanent Shutdown (KINS/GE-N012, published in June, 2016). The review focused on the appropriateness of classifying the necessary operating systems and unnecessary operating systems for the permanent shutdown period, and adjustments to the operating systems, considering the features of a permanently shut-down nuclear power plant, including safety management for a shut-down nuclear power plant. However, since the Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor is South Korea's first shut-down nuclear power plant, the guidelines will be continuously updated to reflect detailed considerations. The guidelines need to be revised periodically to reflect experiences obtained during the safety review for the permanent shutdown of the Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor KARA Issue Paper No.05

5 Current Status of Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Safety Regulations Since the operator retains the operating licence for the "nuclear power reactor and relevant facilities" even after the shutdown of the Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor, the same safety regulations (review and inspection) that are applied to an operating nuclear power plant will be applied to the Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor during the transient period, from the approval of the shutdown to the approval of. Safety regulations should be carried out during the transient period before the approval of through an in-depth analysis of the considerations relevant to the operation and safety management of permanently shut-down nuclear power plants, including overseas cases of safety regulation enforcement methods and preparation activities (system decontamination/preliminary demolition/recycling, etc.). 1) Fig. 01 Process of approving permanent shutdown and of a nuclear power plant Operation Permanent shutdown Decommissioning Request for permission of operation amendment for shutdown Approval of permanent shutdown Transition period (activities preparing ) Approval of Review of shutdown request Request for (permission) five years Review of Decommissioning activities Permanent nuclear fuel removal Regular inspection of operating nuclear power plant Regular inspection of shut-down nuclear power plant Verification of / checkup(inspection) 1) IAEA GSR Part 6 allows some preparation activities for during the transition period through licensing or amended licensing, and IAEA TRS 420 ( Transition from Operation to Decommissioning of Nuclear Installation ) describes the preliminary preparation activities as minor activities, which include 1 general repair/maintenance, removal of small devices/facilities, and demolition of equipment as a normal maintenance activity during the operating period, 2 demolition of relatively little contaminated devices (control rod drive unit, pipes, valves, etc.), and 3 demolition of non-radioactive devices/structures that are not necessary for safety (cooling towers, transformers, control panels, etc.) KARA Issue Paper No.05 05

6 Overview of Safety Regulations for Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor June, 2006: Request for continued operation (Periodic safety evaluation result, etc.) June, 2006 to June, 2017: Design lifetime of 30 years + Approval of primary continued operation (10 years) June 16, 2015: Decision of permanent shutdown and of the Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor. Reason: Recommendation by Energy Commission under the Ministry of Trade, Industry (June 12, 2015) and Energy accepted by KHNP. June, 2016: Request for operation amendment for shutdown of the Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor. September, 2016: First inquiry for shutdown safety review. A total of 150 questions raised in the first inquiry [DSAR (123 questions and 228 minor questions), DTS (26 questions), and DQAM (1 question)] 2). November, 2016: First answer for shutdown safety review. December, 2016: Second inquiry for shutdown safety review. June, 2017: Termination of review through the answers to the additional questions and approval of permanent shutdown. June, 2018: Submission of (preliminary) plan (scheduled). Article 2 (Transitional Measures concerning Approval of Decommissioning Plans) of Nuclear Safety Act: Within three years from the enforcement date (July, 2015). June, 2022: Submission of (final) plan according to the approval of (scheduled). Article 41-2 (Filing Applications, etc. for Approval to Decommission Reactor Facilities) of Enforcement Decree of the Nuclear Safety Act: Within five years from the date of obtaining permanent shutdown approval. After approval of : After transporting spent fuel from the spent fuel pit (SFP) 3), full-scale activities will be started (scheduled). 2) Defueled SAR (Safety Analysis Report): Different from operating nuclear power plant FSAR (Final SAR) and permanently shut-down nuclear power plant SAR. Defueled TS (Technical Specification): Different from operating nuclear power plant TS and permanently shut-down nuclear power plant TS. 3) In the case of an SFP cooling water loss accident, if the risk of public exposure due to the damage to nuclear fuel is low, the spent fuel is transported out of the SFP for permanent disposal or intermediate storage KARA Issue Paper No.05

7 Current Status of Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Safety Regulations 03 Legal Regulation Framework Relevant to Nuclear Power Safety for Permanent Shutdown and Decommissioning 1. Safety Regulations for Permanent Shutdown The permanent shutdown of a nuclear power reactor in South Korea can be carried out after acquiring permission for an operation amendment according to Article 21 of the Nuclear Safety Act. Since permanent shutdown is also a part of the operation permission, the final type of operation permission is determined after completing the. There is no specific period for requesting a permanent shutdown. Generally, unless a periodic safety review for continued operation is performed in the period from five years to two years before the design lifetime expiration date according to Article 36 (Timing, etc. for Periodic Safety Reviews), Paragraph 4 of the Enforcement Decree of the Nuclear Safety Act, the operating amendment permission should be requested for shutdown, since the design lifetime expiration date is presumed. Since permanent shutdown is also a part of the nuclear power plant operating permission, the same safety regulations that apply to an operating nuclear power plant are implemented. However, since the risk for a shut-down nuclear power plant, where the nuclear fuel in the nuclear reactor has been removed, is significantly lower than in an operating nuclear power plant, some of the criteria for licences and the safety measures shown in the sub-paragraphs of Article 21, Paragraph 2 of the Nuclear Safety Act may not be applicable. 2. Safety Regulations for Decommissioning Many studies have been conducted in South Korea regarding safety regulations for, but the legislation and amendments to the Nuclear Safety Act for preparing a safety regulation framework were formulated in full scale in South Korea received an inspection by the Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) for safety regulations by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in July, In the -related recommendations the IAEA required the establishment and periodic update of a nuclear facility plan 4). Hence, Article 10 (Construction Permits) and Article 20 (Operating Licence s) of the Nuclear Safety Act 4) IAEA IRRS recommendation : The regulatory framework should require plans for nuclear installations to be constructed and operated and these plans should be updated periodically 2017 KARA Issue Paper No.05 07

8 were amended to require the nuclear facilities (nuclear power reactors /nuclear reactors for research and education/nuclear fuel cycle facilities) of South Korea to submit as a document for licensing a (preliminary) plan at the time construction permission was requested. In addition, Article 28 (Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Reactors and Relevant Facilities), Article 34 (Application Mutatis Mutandis), and Article 42 (Decommissioning of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities) of the same Act were amended (January, 2015) to reflect the request for approval of a final plan, documents to be submitted, report, checkup and inspection of state, reporting of completion of, and inspection of completion of. Subsequently, through the Enforcement Decree, the Enforcement Rule of the same Act and the notifications by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, the sub-regulations were developed to reflect the specific technical standards regarding the approval of, including the plan, and were completely legislated and amended in December, Fig. 02 Safety regulation framework for nuclear power plant in South Korea Continuation of operating licence The "permanent shutdown" state may be regarded as continuing until the end of the operating licence, but the stage is expressed as a permanent discontinuation of operation for convenience's sake. Stages Operation Permanent shutdown Decommissioning End of operation licence Operation Decommissioning Termination of operating licence Related to Nuclear Safety Act Request for operation amendment - Act 20(2), 21(2) Review Operation amendment Decommissioning plan, Decommissioning quality guarantee plan, Opinion investigation Request for approval of -Act 28(1)-(2) Draft of plan and investigation of resident opinions - Act 103(2) Review Approval Report of state -Act 28(3) Every half year Verification and checkup of state -Act 28(3) - Act 28(6) Notification of end of operation licence - Act 28(8) Permanent shutdown Report of completion of - Act 28(4) Some of the operating licence criteria may not be applied - Act 21(2)] After completion of Periodic safety evaluation Some of the criteria may not be applied after shutdown. Enforcement Decree 36(5) Safety measures for operation Some of the criteria may not be applied after shutdown. Act 26(5) Firstly, according to Article 2, Paragraph 24, the term "" was defined as "all activities performed" to let nuclear power reactors, nuclear reactors for research and education, and facilities licence d by a nuclear fuel cycle business "be exempt from the application of this Act by dismantling facilities and sites, or by removing radioactive contamination after permanently suspending the KARA Issue Paper No.05

9 Current Status of Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Safety Regulations operation of facilities licence d or designated under this Act." Article 4, Paragraph 5 of the Enforcement Rule of the Nuclear Safety Act was amended (July, 2015) so that the (preliminary) plant submitted to obtain the licences for construction and operation should include 1 the schedule of the demolition strategy for the nuclear reactors and relevant facilities, 2 the measures to prevent radiation disasters, and 3 the methods of removing contamination by radioactive materials, etc. Relevant technical standards were provided by newly legislating Articles 85-3 to 85-7 of the Enforcement Rule of the same Act. In addition, the specific structure, contents, and permission criteria that should be included in the (preliminary) plan were specified by notification by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission No (Regulations for Preparation of Nuclear Power-Using Facility Decommissioning Plan) (July, 2015). Finally, Article 92-2 of the Nuclear Safety Act (January, 2015), and Article of the same Act (July, 2015) were amended so that the (preliminary) plan could be revised periodically every tenth year, to reflect domestic policies, methods, technologies, finances (expenses), etc. Figure 3 shows the regulations related to the preparation of the (preliminary) plan. Fig. 03 Regulations in the Nuclear Safety Act related to a preliminary plan Nuclear Safety Act related to licensing and designation Prevention of hazard to citizens' health and environment Location, structure, facilities, and performance Qualify guarantee/ accident management Article 174 of Enforcement Decree Article 4, Paragraph 5 (Nuclear reactor rules) of Enforcement Rule 85-3 to 85-7 (newly legislated) Notification by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission No ] Technical capabilities (Preliminary) plan Organization/human resources for Expenses/funds for Strategy for Measures for convenient Preliminary plan for Decisions by the Commission The requirement that a licenced operator of a nuclear power reactor needs to obtain approval for a plan was included in Article 28 (Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Reactors and Relevant Facilities) of the Nuclear Safety Act, even in the past. The details of the same Article were amended so that a request for approval of should be submitted for the facilities to 2017 KARA Issue Paper No.05 09

10 be decommissioned (nuclear power reactors /nuclear reactors for research and education/nuclear fuel cycle facilities) (January, 2015). Article 41-2 (Filing Applications, etc. for Approval to Decommission Reactor Facilities) of the Enforcement Decree of the same Act was newly added so that the should be requested within five years from the date the reactor facility is permanently shut down according to Subparagraph 1, and the conditions for approving were provided according to Subparagraph 2, which are 1 The technical capability necessary for should be secured, 2 The plan, etc. should satisfy the technical standards, and 3 The radiation exposure dose occurring in the course of the should not exceed the dose limit (July, 2015). Therefore, Article 28, Paragraph 2 of the Act was amended so that the request for approval of could be submitted together with the documents specified by the decree of the Prime Minister 5), including the final plan describing the relevant approval conditions (January, 2015). The technical standards regarding the documents for the approval, including the plan, were prepared through Article 85-8 to of the Enforcement Rule of the same Act, and the specific information that should be included was described in the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission No together with the (preliminary) plan. In addition, in relation to the amended Article 28, Paragraphs 3 to 7 of the Act, the details about the verification and inspection of status after the approval of, reporting of the completion of, final site state report, and inspection for the completion of, were provided by newly adding Article 23, Paragraphs 2 to 5 of the Enforcement Rule of the same Act (July, 2015). Figure 4 shows the regulations relevant to the filling of the final plan. Fig. 04 Regulations of Nuclear Safety Act relevant to final plan Article 41-2, Paragraph 2, of Enforcement Decree The technical capability necessary for should be secured The plan, etc. should satisfy the technical standards Addition of Article 85-8 to of the Enforcement Rule of Nuclear Safety Act Decommissioning organization/ human resources Decommissioning procedures Decommissioning cost/funds Decommissioning strategy/method Securement of convenience Evaluation of safety Protection from radiation during Management of waste Environmental effect assessment of Decommissioning quality guarantee The radiation exposure dose occurring in the course of the should not exceed the dose limit Article 2, Paragraph 3, Attached Table 1 5) Residents' opinions and the results of a public hearing about the final plan, quality guarantee plan, and draft plan according to Article 22, Paragraph 3 of Enforcement Rule of the Nuclear Safety Act (Articles 143 to 145 of Enforcement Decree of the same Act are only applicable to nuclear power reactors and nuclear reactors for research and education.) KARA Issue Paper No.05

11 Current Status of Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Safety Regulations After receiving approval for (the final plan, etc.), the operator should report the state, and the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission should perform an on-site checkup and inspection according to Article 28, Paragraph 3, of the Nuclear Safety Act. The methods and fields of the inspection are provided in the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission No (Regulations about the checkup and inspection methods relevant to the state of nuclear facilities) notified in December, Similarly, after the completion of, reporting of the completion of and an on-site completion inspection by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission should be implemented according to Article 28, Paragraphs 4 to 6 of the Act. The inspection is performed to verify whether the was carried out according to the site reuse criteria provided in the final plan and the completion report. The following details of the site reuse criteria were provided by preparing the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission No (Criteria for reuse of sites and remaining buildings after completing of nuclear facilities) (December, 2016). Unlimited reuse : The maximum radiation exposure dose to an individual in a critical group with reference to the effective dose considering all exposure pathways of residual radioactivity should be equal to or less than 0.1 msv in a year. Limited reuse : In the case where the maximum radiation exposure is predicted to exceed the unlimited reuse criterion, on the condition of applying safety measures and restrictive conditions to keep the radiation exposure as low as reasonably achievable ("ALARA"), if the exposure radiation dose to an individual in a critical group does not exceed 0.1m Sv in a year, limited reuse may be allowed (0.1mSv + ALARA). (+ Even if the safety measures or the restrictive conditions fail, it should be proved that the effective dose does not exceed 1 msv in a year.) The safety regulation framework of South Korea, based on the IAEA IRRS inspection, was improved between 2015 and 2016 by legislating and amending the regulations relevant to the Nuclear Safety Act. The regulations relevant to, defined only by Article 28 of the Nuclear Safety Act, only included a description of the approval of a plan for a nuclear power reactor, as well as the checkup and inspection of the state, without any subordinate regulations in the Article. However, the Article was amended and the relevant subordinate regulations were legislated to improve the entire set of procedures regarding the facilities to be decommissioned, including preparation of a preliminary plan, periodic updates, approval of (submission of a final plan, etc.), checkup and inspection of the state, completion of, and termination of licence, systematically establishing the safety regulation framework of South Korea. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the laws and rules as well as technical standards related to the currently applicable safety regulations KARA Issue Paper No.05 11

12 Fig. 05 Laws, rules, and technical standards related to safety regulation in South Korea Nuclear Safety Act Enforcement Decree Preliminary DP for licensing of construction 10 Licensing of construction 11 Licensing criteria Preliminary DP for licensing of operation 20 Licensing of operation 21 Licensing criteria Update of preliminary DP during operation 92-2 Periodic update of DP Request for within 5 years after shutdown 41-2 Request for approval of (change) + Approval criteria (1)(2) Approval + Approval of changes Approval of, etc. 28 Nuclear power plant (3) Reporting of state + checkup and inspection (4), (6) Reporting of completion + inspection (7) Order for correction and supplementation (8)(9) Termination of licence + Application of conditions Hearing of residents' opinions regarding final DP draft 103 Hearing of residents' opinions Regarding hearing of residents' opinions Enforcement Rule 4(5) Items included in preliminary DP Period of preliminary DP update 10 years 23-5 Inspection for completion of 22 (1),(2) Request for approval of (change) 22(3) Documents to be attached for the request of the approval 23-4 Report about final site state 23-2 Reporting of state + checkup and inspection 22-3 Reporting of completion of Preparation of final DP draft 133 Submission of final DP draft 134 Storage of final DP draft, etc. Final DP, QAP, and materials about collected opinions Nuclear Reactor Rule Licensing criteria for construction/operation 85-3 to 85-7 Decommissioning organization/human resources Decommissioning cost/funds Decommissioning strategy, etc Measures for convenient Preliminary plan for Criteria for approving 85-8 to Decommissioning organization/human resources Decommissioning procedures Decommissioning cost/funds Decommissioning strategy/method Securement of convenience Evaluation of safety Protection from radiation during Management of waste nvironmental effect assessment of Decommissioning quality guarantee Notifications by the Nuclear Safety and Securit Commission No (Regulations for Preparation of Nuclear Power- Using Facility Decommissioning Plan) Regulations regarding the methods and procedures of checking and inspecting state (Notification) Criteria for reusing the site and remaining buildings after completion of (Notification) Regulatory standards/ guidelines, review and inspection guidelines, etc. Guidelines for reviewing preliminary DP (under development) Guidelines for reviewing approva of (to be developed) Guidelines for the checkup/ inspection of state and for the inspection of completion of (to be developed)] KARA Issue Paper No.05

13 Current Status of Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Safety Regulations 04 Current Status of Permanent Shutdown and Decommissioning in South Korea 1. Current Status in South Korea South Korea has no experience in a commercial nuclear power plant, but the permanent shutdown and of small-scale facilities, including nuclear reactors for research and nuclear fuel cycle facilities, are currently being performed or are already completed. At present, the final works for South Korea's first nuclear reactors, No. 1 and 2 for research (TRIGA MARK II & III) are being carried out. The uranium conversion plant for processing nuclear fuel for the Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) nuclear reactor, a nuclear fuel cycle facility located in the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute in Daejeon, was completely decommissioned in 2012, and the application for terminating the project was submitted. The current status of the of nuclear reactors for research and uranium conversion plants is briefly described below. Nuclear reactors for research 1995 : Discontinuation of TRIGA MARK II (January) and III (December) reactors operation (Permanent shutdown) December, 1998 ~ November, 2000: Submission, review, and approval of plan ~ Present: Under. Uranium conversion facilities 1992 : Discontinuation of CANDU uranium conversion facility operation (Permanent shutdown) November, 2002 ~ July, 2004: Submission, review, and approval of plan. May, 2011: Request for termination of business (Article 43-2 of past Nuclear Safety Act). April, 2012: Approval of termination of business. The approval was made after reviewing the appropriateness of the transfer of radioactive materials and contaminated materials, removal of contamination, and transfer of relevant records, according to Article 100 of the past Nuclear Safety Act (Measures according to cancellation of licence, etc. or termination of business, etc.) 2017 KARA Issue Paper No.05 13

14 Pollution removal and preservation of the original state were planned for TRIGA MARK-II, South Korea's first nuclear reactor (December, 2009). However, due to the problems of continuous safety management caused by radio-activation, TRIGA MARK-II will be turned into a memorial hall after removing the internal pollution, the reactor, and installing a replica model. This plan was finally approved with the approval of the plan in June, The main body of the TRIGA MARK-II reactor has been completely decommissioned, and the pollution removal of the other relevant facilities has been completed for the final of the reactor and the recovery of the site. However, as the owner of the site (Korea Electric Power Corporation, KEPCO) requires the return of all the buildings including the reactor after the complete demolition, the is currently delayed to adjust the plan and to carry out additional works. The uranium conversion plant (UFC, uranium fuel cycle) was completely decommissioned, and the business was finally terminated following the checkup and inspection. Since Article 28 (Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Reactors and Relevant Facilities) is the only regulation included in the Nuclear Safety Act regarding the of a nuclear reactor for research and a uranium conversion facility, the strategy and cost were not regulated. In addition, due to the absence of the subordinate technical standards regarding the pollution removal and site reuse, the pollution removal criteria (α < 0.04 Bq/g or 0.04 Bq/cm2, β/γ < 0.4 Bq/g or 0.4 Bq/cm2) of the UK and other European countries were applied. The criterion for unlimited reuse was 0.1 msv/y, which was the safety regulation from the United States MARSSIM (Multi-Agency Radiation Survey & Site Investigation Methodology). Fig. 06 Images of TRIGA MARK II & III reactors before and during South Korea does not have experience with a commercial nuclear power plant. Beginning with Gori No. 2 Nuclear Reactor, more nuclear power plants will need to be decommissioned. With respect to the design lifetime expiration date when is expected, 10-year continued operation was approved for Gori No. 1 and Wolseong No. 2 nuclear reactors, which were obtained early in the operating licence, although their design lifetime is 30 years KARA Issue Paper No.05

15 Current Status of Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Safety Regulations All other nuclear power plants have a design lifetime of 40 years except for the recently constructed APR-1400 nuclear power plant, which has a design lifetime of 60 years. The design lifetime expiration data is basically calculated from the day when commercial operation starts after obtaining the approval for operation. For Gori No. 1 and 2 and Wolseong No. 1 and 2 reactors, the design lifetime expiration data was calculated with reference to the initial critical day. As Table 2.6 shows, a total of eight nuclear power reactors, Gori No. 1, 2, 3, and 4, Wolseong No. 1 and 2, and Hanbit No. 1 and 2 reactors, should request either continued operation or permanent shutdown as their design lifetime expires within 10 years. Beginning with the Gori No. 1 reactor, safety regulations for safe should be prepared unless continued operation is requested. Tab. 01 Nuclear power plants operated in South Korea and their design lifetime expiration date Nuclear power plant Reactor type Capacity(MWe) Date of commercial operation initiation Design lifetime expiration date * Gori (4 reactors) New Gori (3 reactors) PWR (WH) (OPR-) (APR-1400) (scheduled) Wolseong (4 reactors) New Wolseong (2 reactors) PHWR (CANDU) PWR (OPR-) * Hanbit (6 reactors) PWR (WH) (CE) (KSNP) Hanul (6 reactors) PWR (framatome) (KSNP) * Basis of design lifetime expiration date calculation: With reference to the first critical day for Gori No. 1 and 2 and Wolseong No. 1 reactors, and the operating approval date for the other reactors KARA Issue Paper No.05 15

16 2. Overseas Status As of September, 2016, about 150 commercial nuclear reactors, experimental reactors, and prototype reactors have been permanently shut down globally, and more than 250 nuclear reactors for research and numerous nuclear fuel cycle facilities have been permanently shut down. Some of the shutdown facilities were completely decommissioned, but most of them remain in the SAFSTOR (Safe Storage) 6) state or are currently under. More than 20 out of the 150 commercial nuclear reactors, experimental reactors, and prototype reactors that were permanently shut down have been completely decommissioned, more than 50 are in the state of SAFSTOR, and three are in the state of entombment. Decommissioning strategies are being prepared for the pre- facilities, which will undergo immediate or deferred dismantling after the strategies are decided. The reasons for permanent shutdown included an imminent reactor design lifetime expiration date for old nuclear power plants, accomplishment of goals (operation for 25 to 35 years), and loss of economic feasibility (111 reactors). On the other hand, twenty five nuclear reactors (11 of the 25 reactors that were designed in the former Soviet Union) were permanently shut down due to design basis accidents (DBA) or severe accidents (SA) as the economic or technical capabilities to solve the problems were absent. Table 2 (referring to IAEA Reference Data Series No.2. Nuclear Power Reactors in the World, 2015) shows the currently shut-down nuclear power plants in the world as well as their state (about 150 commercial nuclear reactors, experimental reactors, and prototype reactors). Decommissioning is carried out in United States, United Kingdoms, Germany, and France, but only United States has the experience of many and various nuclear power plants. In addition, most of the countries have adopted a strategy of immediate dismantling after safe storage in order to minimize the amount of waste and to develop the technologies at the same time. 6) Safe Storage: Safe storage is the US NRC's strategy corresponding to deferred dismantling, which is one of the three nuclear power plant strategies of IAEA (immediate dismantling, deferred dismantling, and entombment). In safe storage, a nuclear power plant is preserved while monitoring the radioactive decay, and all the systems/structures/devices of a power plant are put into long-term safe storage, without, to permit at an appropriate time in the future, considering the radioactive decay and the reduction in nuclear waste during the delay. Definition : The facility is placed in a safe, stable condition and maintained in that state until it is subsequently decontaminated and dismantled to levels that permit licence termination. During SAFSTOR, a facility is left intact, but the fuel has been removed from the reactor vessel and radioactive liquids have been drained from systems and components and then processed. Radioactive decay occurs during the SAFSTOR period, thus reducing the levels of radioactivity in and on the material and, potentially, the quantity of material that must be disposed of during decontamination and dismantlement. The GEIS found SAFSTOR to be an acceptable method KARA Issue Paper No.05

17 Current Status of Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Safety Regulations Fig. 07 US Daddam Neck power plant (Connecticut) before and after the Tab. 02 Current status of permanently shut-down nuclear power plants in the world (about 150 commercial nuclear reactors, experimental reactors, and prototype reactors as of September, 2016) Country Permanently shut-down Decommissioning Completed Undergoing United States France Japan Russia 5-4 Canada 6-3 United Kingdoms Ukraine Sweden 3-3 Germany Spain 2-2 Belgium 1-1 Switzerland Slovakia 3-3 Bulgaria 4-4 Armenia 1-1 Netherlands 1-1 Italy 4-4 Lithuania 2-2 Kazakhstan 1-1 Total KARA Issue Paper No.05 17

18 The approval of permanent shutdown in the countries using nuclear power is decided on the basis of the recommendations made by or the documents published by international organization, such as IAEA and OECD NEA, in the safety regulation system of each country. The stage of permanent shutdown is considered part of the operating licence in most countries, which means that a nuclear power plant permanently shut-down during the permanent shutdown period is also subject to regulation as a nuclear power plant under operation. However, since permanent shutdown is decided solely by the operator, the time for permanent shutdown may not be specified, and thus the due date for requesting the permanent shutdown licence is not applicable in South Korea. In contrast, some countries have a predetermined due date for requesting the permanent shutdown licence, as shown in Table 3. Tab. 03 Due date for requesting permanent shutdown licence in countries Licensing Country Due date Permission South Korea, Switzerland - Report Not applicable Belgium France Germany Mexico Spain United States Canada, India, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdoms - At lest two years before Six months before One year before At least one year before Within 30 days (after shutdown decision) - In South Korea, the approval of includes various parts, such as separate licensing, approval of plan, and submission of a report. Decommissioning is carried out through licensing in many countries, as described below. Preliminary preparation activities are not permitted in most countries where a new licence is required for the activities, but some preliminary preparation activities are permitted in countries where is considered to be part of the operating licence. Especially in the United States, Major 7) that may be carried out only after the submission of a activity report is defined separately, so that other activities may be performed as preliminary preparation activities, if necessary. New licence: Canada, Germany, Mexico Approval of plan: South Korea, India, Japan PSDAR 8) report: United States Other: Switzerland [Not considered as a nuclear power plant after power generation is finished (removal of nuclear fuel).] 7) United States 10CFR50.2 Definition: Major activity means, for a nuclear power reactor facility, any activity that results in permanent removal of major radioactive components, permanently modifies the structure of the containment, or results in dismantling components for shipment containing greater than class C waste (radio-activated reactor container, inside, vapor-generator, compressor, cooling pipes, and other large equipment). 8) PSDAR : Post Shut-down Decommissioning Activities Report KARA Issue Paper No.05

19 Current Status of Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Safety Regulations 05 Conclusions and Suggestions The nuclear power plant safety regulations detailed in the Nuclear Safety Act of South Korea regulate the safety of the entire life-cycle of nuclear power-using facilities, except the nuclear fuel refining business according to Article 35 (Licence s, etc. for Nuclear Fuel Cycle Business) of the same Act, and the spent nuclear fuel processing business (reprocessing) according to Article 28 (Decommissioning of Nuclear Power Reactors and Relevant Facilities) of the same Act. Decommissioning safety regulation is an urgent task. Although South Korea has experience with a nuclear reactor for research and a nuclear fuel cycle business, they were performed before the safety regulation framework was improved. However, considering the scale of the power plant to be decommissioned as well as the waste, commercial power plants such as Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor will require more funds, technologies, workers, and experts. In addition, as citizens' concern about nuclear power plants has been elevated, the works should be carried out safely with a systematic understanding of the safety regulation framework, laws and rules, systems, and procedures relevant to. South Korea's nuclear power safety regulatory authorities, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission and the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, have recently organized the domestic safety regulation framework into individual stages, including permanent shutdown, approval of, preliminary/final plan, reporting and review of checkup and inspection, reporting and review of completion, and termination of licence, and have prepared detailed technical standards through the rules about the technical standards for nuclear reactors, etc., and the notifications of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission. Nevertheless, continuous efforts should be made to legislate and amend the subordinate technical standards of the Nuclear Safety Act and the relevant notifications, to reflect the regulatory experience with the Gori No.1 Nuclear reactor and investigate relevant overseas cases. In addition, detailed regulatory guidelines that are currently being developed with respect to the final plant, state checkup and inspection, and completion inspection should be developed at the proper time through the safety regulation R&D and be provided to stakeholders (operators, regulatory authorities, governmental institutions, local residents, etc.) KARA Issue Paper No.05 19

20 The operator of the Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor will perform the preparation activities (drainage, isolation, spent fuel cooling, safety management, etc.) during the shutdown period, and complete the pollution removal and dismantling works until 2030, after obtaining the approval. In addition, the operator will terminate the licence in 2032 by recovering the site. Accordingly, many issues will be raised at each stage of the project, including the treatment, storage, and disposal of radioactive waste generated during the period, as well as the transport, intermediate storage, and disposal of spent nuclear fuel, and those issues need to be well resolved under the safety regulation framework of South Korea. Therefore, the stakeholders need to use thorough preparation and mutual effort, and independent safety regulation technologies should be developed for efficient. Finally, before starting the, requirements should be identified through regulation, technological research, and mutual cooperation, and the safety regulation framework should be further improved, to ensure the successful and safe of Gori No. 1 Nuclear Reactor, South Korea's first commercial nuclear power plant. Fig. 08 Intermediate spent fuel storage facility in United States (ISFSI, Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation) KARA Issue Paper No.05

21 Korean Association for Radiation Application Project Supervisor : Tai-Jin Park Tel : tjpark@ri.or.kr Supervisor : Sol-Ah Jang Tel : sol8485@ri.or.kr RATIS (RAdiation Technology Information System)

22 2017 KARA Issue Paper No.05 Current Status of Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Safety Regulations 18F, Seoul-forest IT Valley, 77, Seongsuil-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, Korea, Tel Fax