The present work, constituting the first part of a series of two, deals with a systematic investigation of the general corrosion state of 22 heat exchanger tubes originating from different steam generators of the Paks NPP (Hungary). While the passivity of the inner surface of the stainless steel tube specimens was studied by voltammetry, the morphology and chemical composition of the oxide layer formed on the surfaces were analyzed by SEM–EDX method. Based on the measured corrosion characteristics (corrosion rate, thickness and chemical composition of the protective oxide layer) a strong dependence of these parameters on the decontamination history of the steam generators was revealed. It is well documented that the chemical decontamination carried out by a non-regenerative version of the AP-CITROX procedure does exert, on the long run, a detrimental effect on the corrosion resistance of steel surfaces. Therefore, process restrictions and modifications to minimize corrosion damages have be defined.