Wolsong 1, a CANDU-6 pressurised heavy water reactor, received its permanent-shutdown permit in December 2019, years after a KRW 560bn refurbishment that had been meant to extend its life. KHNP applied for its final decommissioning permit in June 2024, and the regulator's technical review began in 2025.
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Current state
| Status | Planning |
| Country | South Korea |
| Location | Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang |
| Site | Wolsong |
| Units | Unit 1 |
| Unit count | 1 |
| Reactor types | PHWR (CANDU-6) |
| Owner / licensee | Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) |
| Strategy | Immediate dismantling |
| Final shutdown | 2019-12 |
| Notable issue | Closed early despite a 2009-2011 refurbishment costing about KRW 560bn. |
Notes
Approval of the decommissioning permit after Feb 2025 not confirmed. WNA confirms the KRW 560bn refurbishment.
Timeline
- 2011-07 — A refurbishment outage replacing all 380 calandria tubes ended. (source)
- 2019-12 — KHNP received the permit for Wolsong 1's permanent shutdown. (source)
- 2022-02 — The preliminary decommissioning plan was approved. (source)
- 2024-06 — KHNP applied for the decommissioning permit with its final plan. (source)
- 2025-02-27 — KINS reported completion of its document acceptance review and start of the main review. (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.
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Related sites
- Biblis Nuclear Power Plant (Units A and B) Active dismantling · Germany
- Brokdorf Nuclear Power Plant (KBR) Active dismantling · Germany
- Brunsbüttel Nuclear Power Plant (KKB) Active dismantling · Germany
- Chinshan Nuclear Power Plant Fuel removal · Taiwan
- Chooz A Active dismantling · France
- Crystal River Unit 3 Site restoration · United States
- Doel Nuclear Power Plant (Units 1-3) Shut down · Belgium
- Dounreay (DFR and PFR fast reactors) Active dismantling · United Kingdom
See all 72 sites in the Nuclear Decommissioning Tracker →
Sources
- 208th Meeting of Commission (27 February 2025) — Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (Korea) (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Nuclear Power in South Korea — World Nuclear Association, checked 2026-10-11