Safeguards Perspectives for the Spent CANDU Fuel Transfer in the ROK

The KHNP had adopted the dry storage policy at Wolsong unit 1 (KOF1) in 1992, which transfers the spent fuel bundles stacked in the pond to the dry storage canisters and keeps them until their final disposal. Both the Agency and national inspectors have to verify all activities related to its process. The spent fuel transfer will take place at four units sooner or later and it will serve as a big burden to both sides’ safeguards activities. Accordingly, the Agency considers a new safeguards approach, which consists of the mailbox declarations, the application of the unattended monitoring sensors, and implementing unannounced inspections. The workshop between the Agency and the ROK was held at Wolsong in order to test their performances on safeguarding the spent fuel transfer. Through the workshop, both sides agreed that the mailbox declarations must be necessary and helpful for the Agency to schedule unannounced inspections and verify the spent fuel transfer, and to update mailbox declarations. The Agency performed a rehearsal for implementing unannounced inspections and concluded that an inspector could access to all strategic points within two hours required by the criteria. Hence, the KHNP has to carry out multi spent fuel transfers at Wolsong site because it has to carry out the spent fuel transfer at all units at later time. It concluded that the new safeguards approach is necessary and helpful for the Agency to save inspection efforts in the ROK.