South Korea to Reconsider Accident Management Plans for Four Units at Gori and Hanbit

On September 11, 2026, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission of South Korea held its 14th meeting of 2026 to review the accident management plans and operating change license applications submitted by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) for Gori Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4 and Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 and 2. The meeting failed to reach a final conclusion and decided to refer the relevant agenda items to the next meeting for continued deliberation.

The accident management plan mainly includes the scope of nuclear power plant accident management, management facilities, management strategies, and training programs. For nuclear power units with long operating lives, approval of this plan is generally regarded as an important prerequisite for subsequent discussions on continued operation licenses.

The four units involved in this review are all pressurized water reactor units, with a single-unit installed capacity of 950 megawatts. Among them, Gori Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4, located in Gijang County, Busan, entered commercial operation in September 1985 and April 1986, respectively; Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 and 2, located in Yeonggwang County, South Jeolla Province, entered commercial operation in August 1986 and June 1987, respectively.

In its August 2026 work report, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission of South Korea previously proposed a plan to decide in the second half of this year whether to allow Gori Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4 to continue operating, and to decide in the first half of next year whether to allow Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 and 2 to continue operating.

At the same day's meeting, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission of South Korea also reviewed and approved applications submitted by Orbitec, including a nuclear fuel material use license, allowing it to transfer nuclear fuel materials within the relevant facilities. The meeting also approved the draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Act on Safety Management of Living Environment Radiation, requiring that health examination results with specific findings be reported to all crew members.