Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for technical cooperation in the field of used nuclear fuel to secure technologies for dry storage of used fuel and decommissioning of NPPs. 

Under terms of the agreement, the organisations will engage in knowledge-sharing and other joint activities to advance storage, transportation and disposal practices for spent CANDU nuclear fuel, and to explore opportunities to collaborate on nuclear decommissioning and waste management initiatives.

“CNL and KHNP have a shared interest in advancing research related to the management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel, so this partnership will benefit both organisations,” commented Kristan Schruder, CNL’s general manager and deputy vice-president of Environmental Remediation Management. “And it is our hope that we can continue to build on this collaboration, exploring other areas where we have common interests, including decommissioning and waste management technologies and practices.”

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories has decades of experience and expertise in dry and wet storage of spent nuclear fuel. CNL has operated multiple CANDU prototype and test reactors at the Chalk River, Douglas Point, Gentilly, and Whiteshell sites, and has managed spent fuel and performed supporting research for these and other commercial reactors for many decades. 

South Korea is home to four CANDU pressurised heavy water reactors, including Wolsong 1, which was permanently shut down in 2019. To safely manage the spent fuel from these operations, KHNP has been preparing to initiate a research project that will focus on the long-term management of CANDU spent fuel in dry storage.

Photo: the Wolsong nuclear power plant in South Korea comprises four CANDU reactors (Credit: KHNP)