Dry Spent Fuel Storage Facility Planned at Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant in South Korea

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) held a resident briefing session on August 25 at the Hongnong-eup Community Center in Yeonggwang-gun, South Jeolla Province, to introduce its plan to build an on-site interim spent fuel storage facility at the Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant. Approximately 200 residents from villages near the plant, along with officials from Yeonggwang-gun and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), attended the meeting, which proceeded in an orderly manner.

KHNP stated that the existing wet spent fuel storage pools at Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant have reached 86% capacity and are expected to approach saturation by 2030, necessitating the construction of a new on-site storage facility. According to the plan, the proposed facility will be located within the Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant site, covering approximately 7,328 square meters, and will employ dry storage methods for interim spent fuel storage.

The facility is designed to be 97 meters wide, 75 meters long, and 24 meters high, with exterior walls 1.8 meters thick, and will be situated at an elevation of approximately 23 meters above sea level. At the briefing, KHNP stated that the design prioritizes safety, taking into account the impacts of natural disasters such as floods, typhoons, and tsunamis.

Residents in attendance focused primarily on information disclosure and long-term monitoring. Some residents noted that those living within a 5-kilometer radius of the plant have long been concerned about safety risks, and suggested establishing a permanent, independent monitoring body with resident participation in inspections of items such as radiation levels. Other residents expressed a desire for a real-time monitoring mechanism after the facility becomes operational, and requested that regular briefing sessions be held throughout the project to promptly disclose progress and any abnormal situations.

KHNP plans to hold additional briefing sessions with the same content on August 26 at the Gunnam-myeon Multipurpose Center in Yeonggwang-gun and the Yeonggwang Starlight Hotel. On September 1, a forum involving environmental groups and residents will also be held at the Yeonggwang Starlight Hotel.

Currently, KHNP has submitted the project plan draft to the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC), the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, and Yeonggwang-gun, with the goal of commencing operation of the storage facility in July 2030.