지역사회와 함께 호흡하는 고리원자력본부: 상생의 가치와 미래를 향한 과제 > K-wave Trends

‘Fence of Love’, a social contribution project that Kori Nuclear Power Headquarters has continuously promoted, goes beyond simple economic support and functions as a core safety net that fills the gap in care in the local community. The donation of 22 million won delivered this time will be delivered to 10 local children's centers in Gijang-gun through the Green Umbrella Children's Foundation, and will serve as nourishment to help children from low-income families experience outdoor culture and grow emotionally. This is very encouraging in that it is not just a one-time donation, but is strengthening practical emotional bonds with children in welfare facilities by being combined with volunteer activities in which Kori Nuclear Power Headquarters executives and employees directly participate. These efforts to support the dreams and hopes of local children can be said to be a representative example of how nuclear power plant operating facilities are deeply rooted in the local community and are creating positive social value.

In addition to fulfilling social responsibilities, another activity that the Kori Nuclear Power Headquarters has recently been focusing on is the ‘Energy Saving Campaign’ with citizens. As electricity demand rapidly increases in the summer, the labor and management of the headquarters visited Sajik Baseball Stadium to inform citizens of the rules for energy conservation in their daily lives, which is considered a very strategic and symbolic move. Beyond its role as a simple power producer, it has demonstrated its will to overcome the national energy security crisis together with citizens by spreading a culture of power saving that citizens can experience in their daily lives, such as using public transportation and maintaining appropriate cooling temperatures. These public contact activities serve as an important bridge to reduce vague wariness about nuclear power generation facilities and encourage citizens to participate as subjects of energy policy.

However, in contrast to these heartwarming social contribution activities, there are a number of rather heavy tasks in the technical and industrial areas of nuclear power plant decommissioning. The decommissioning process of Kori Unit 1, Korea's first commercial nuclear power plant, is a sensitive issue that is attracting the attention of related industries as it is a prelude to the nuclear power plant decommissioning market, which will expand to hundreds of billions of won in the future. The news that the contract process is being delayed due to document defects discovered in the consortium selected as the preferred bidder in the large-scale waste disposal service project recently ordered by Kori Nuclear Power Headquarters raises awareness about the transparency and professionalism of the large-scale decommissioning process that will follow in the future. Beyond simple administrative delays, this is becoming a very important test for related companies that must prove their technological prowess and reliability, and KHNP's careful review is expected to determine the long-term success or failure of the project.

Nuclear power plant decommissioning is not just a simple facility demolition, but a difficult task that requires advanced radiation management and precise engineering procedures. Therefore, the conflict and delay surrounding this large-scale waste disposal project is expected to be an important turning point in determining the reliability of the entire decommissioning roadmap that will continue until the 2030s. As responsibility disputes within the consortium or errors in documentation can have a significant impact on future bid participation qualifications or the company's technology evaluation, strict management and supervision by the ordering body, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, is more urgent than ever. These technical challenges are the gateway that the nuclear industry must pass to move toward a sustainable future, and completing the decommissioning project stably without losing social trust is a key management task given to the Kori Nuclear Power Headquarters.