Nuclear watchdog set to decide whether to extend life span of Kori-2 nuclear reactor

The Kori-2 nuclear reactor on the northeastern coast of Busan / Yonhap

The nuclear watchdog was set to decide Thursday whether to extend the lifespan of the 42-year-old Kori-2 nuclear reactor for an additional 10 years.

At its meeting, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) will review a request from the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), the state-run power operator, to restart and operate the reactor past its initial 40-year period.

This marks the first of 10 life extension requests by the KHNP for its aging reactors and is widely expected to serve as a barometer for the fate of the other nine reactors.

The 650-megawatt Kori-2 lightwater reactor on Korea's southeast coast started commercial operation in April 1983. It is the country's oldest active reactor, aside from the Kori-1 and Wolsong-1 reactors, which have been permanently shut down.

The Kori-2 has been offline since April 2023, when its initial 40-year operating license expired.

If approved, the reactor will operate until April 2033.

It would also become the first nuclear facility in Korea to receive a lifespan extension since 2015, when the Wolsong-1 reactor was allowed to resume operations.

The outcome of the Kori-2 case is expected to set a precedent for nine other aging reactors. Among them, Kori-3 and Kori-4 have already been suspended, while seven others are set to reach the end of their operating lives by 2030.

Experts note their possible extensions or resumptions could help boost the country's power supply.

President Lee Jae Myung has said his government will continue using existing nuclear reactors as part of a "reasonable energy mix," even as it maintains its opposition to building new ones.

Korea has 26 nuclear reactors in operation, from which it currently gets about 30 percent of its electricity supply.