Consideration of spent fuel pool island as an interim management option of spent nuclear fuel for Kori unit 3 & 4 during decommissioning of Kori site

Abstract

An effective decommissioning plan is a key to the safe management of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and cost optimization during the decommissioning process. The multi-reactor Kori site in the Republic of Korea currently has 5 operating reactors and the oldest of these reactors, Kori 1, has been shut down and is scheduled to be decommissioned in the near future. This paper evaluates the feasibility of a spent fuel pool island (SFPI) for the Kori site as a part of spent fuel management strategy for decommissioning. The current decommissioning strategy for Kori 1 was reviewed and an overall decommissioning plan for Kori site was developed as a basis for this analysis.A cost assessment was performed to evaluate the cost effectiveness of an SFPI as an interim storage measure as compared to concrete cask, metal cask, and dual purpose transportation and storage cask (DPC) systems. Based on the decommissioning plan assumptions and economic parameters, the net present value (NPV) for these options was calculated and used as the basis for cost effectiveness comparisons. The total estimated cost of an SFPI is approximately $120 Million (M), which is significantly lower than that of a concrete cask system ($203 M), a metal cask system ($659 M) and DPC system ($874 M).