| Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant | |
| Name Official: | 월성원자력발전소 月城原子力發電所 |
| Coordinates: | 35.7167°N 129.4778°W |
| Country: | South Korea |
| Location: | Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang |
| Status: | O |
| Construction Began: | Unit 1: October 30, 1977 Unit 2: September 25, 1992 Unit 3: March 17, 1994 Unit 4: July 22, 1994 Unit 5: November 20, 2007 Unit 6: September 23, 2008 |
| Commissioned: | Unit 1: April 22, 1983 Unit 2: July 1, 1997 Unit 3: July 1, 1998 Unit 4: October 1, 1999 Unit 5: July 31, 2012 Unit 6: July 24, 2015 |
| Decommissioned: | Unit 1: December 24, 2019 |
| Owner: | Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power |
| Operator: | Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power |
| Np Reactor Type: | CANDU PHWR PWR |
| Np Reactor Supplier: | AECL KEPCO E&C |
| Ps Cooling Source: | Sea of Japan |
| Ps Units Operational: | 1 × 576 MW 1 × 601 MW 1 × 567 MW 1 × 997 MW 1 × 993 MW |
| Ps Units Manu Model: | 4 × CANDU-6 2 × OPR-1000 |
| Ps Units Decommissioned: | 1 × 657 MW |
| Ps Thermal Capacity: | 3 × 2061 MWth 2 × 2825 MWth |
| Ps Electrical Capacity: | 3734 |
| Ps Electrical Cap Fac: | 75.25% |
| Ps Annual Generation: | 30,310 GW·h (2016) |
The Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant, or Wolsong,[1] is a nuclear power plant located on the coast near Nae-ri, Yangnam-myeon, Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang province, South Korea. It is the only South Korean nuclear power plant operating CANDU-type PHWR (Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors).[2] Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power owns the plant.[3] These reactors are capable of consuming multiple types of fuel, including wastes from South Korea's other nuclear plants.
The power plant site including Yangnam-myeon. Yangbuk-myeon and Gampo-eup was designated an industrial infrastructure development zone in 1976. Construction of Wolseong 1 started in 1976 and was completed in 1982. In the following year, the power plant began commercial operations. This PHWR reactor has a gross generation capacity of 678 MW. Wolseong reactors 2, 3 and 4 were completed in 1997, 1998 and 1999, respectively. Each of these reactors has a capacity of 700 MW. Wolseong Nuclear Plant has since operated successfully.
Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant supplies about 5% of South Korea's electricity.[4]
Shin-Wolsong No. 1 and No. 2, are two new OPR-1000 type pressurized water reactors. Shin-Wolsong 1 became fully operational in July 2012.[1] [5] [6]
In June 2013 Shin-Wolsong 1 was shut down, and Shin-Wolsong 2 ordered to remain offline, until safety-related control cabling with forged safety certificates is replaced.[7] Shin Wolsong-1 was approved for restart in January 2014.[8] In November 2014, Shin Wolsong-2 loaded its first core of nuclear fuel, and the plant was connected to the grid in February 2015,[9] with commercial operation commencing in July 2015.[10]
| Unit | Type | Capacity (net) | Construction start | Operation start | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase I | |||||
| Wolsong-1 | CANDU-6 | 657 MW | 30 Oct 1977 | 22 April 1983 | Unit placed in Permanent Shutdown in 2019. [11] |
| Wolsong-2 | CANDU-6 | 576 MW | 22 June 1992 | 1 July 1997 | [12] |
| Wolsong-3 | CANDU-6 | 601 MW | 17 March 1994 | 1 July 1998 | [13] |
| Wolsong-4 | CANDU-6 | 567 MW | 22 July 1994 | 1 Oct 1999 | [14] |
| Phase II | |||||
| Shin Wolsong-1 | 997 MW | 20 Nov 2007 | 31 July 2012 | [15] | |
| Shin Wolsong-2 | OPR-1000 | 993 MW | 23 Sept 2008 | 24 July 2015 | [16] |