Experience and Status of National Spent Fuel Management Strategies and Programmes of SPAR Participants: Republic of Korea

The Republic of Korea has a total of 26 NPPs across four sites. Of these, 24 NPPs (21 PWR, 3 PHWR) are in operation, and 2 NPPs (1 PWR, 1 PHWR) have been permanently shut down. Four new PWR type NPPs are currently under construction. The Public Engagement Commission on Spent nuclear fuel management (PECOS) started in 2014 to identify a strategy for managing spent fuel and published a recommendation to the government in 2016. The recommendation consisted of three parts: - AR dry storage by the utility until a decision is taken on a disposal site; - A centralized dry storage developed and operated by a governmental organization from 2035 at the identified disposal site; - Final geological disposal at the centralized dry storage site after 2053. A committee for the review of the spent nuclear fuel management policy was launched in May 2019 in order to revaluate the PECOS recommendation against the changed energy resource plan and resulting changes to waste predictions and to collect public opinions. The agenda for the review process was completed in August 2019, with opinion gathering from experts ongoing until February 2020.