Nuclear reactor shut downs at Younggwang Plant

Nuclear Reactor-6 at Yeonggwang Plant

A nuclear reactor here stopped automatically Monday, after its protection system gave out warning signals.

According to an official of the state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power, reactor-6 at the Younggwang Plant in South Jeolla Province was shutdown at 2:57 p.m.

The official said that a control stick malfunctioned and fell into the reactor following a power shortage, and caused the automatic shutdown. An investigation is on the way on finding out why the power cut out.

There was no danger of a radiation leak, he added.

The reactor is one of six in the plant, built in December 24, 2002, and has a power capacity of 1000 megawatts.

Reactor-6 will resume operations after the investigation is complete and its results reviewed by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC).

Korea is going through one of its highest ever energy consumption rates for summertime due to the scorching heat, and officials are concerned that an energy shortages and blackouts may occur if the reactor is not brought back online soon.

The incident comes after a similar incident on March 12 at a reactor at Gori Nuclear Power Plant at Busan that was shut down for a safety inspection. The reactor is currently non-operational.

The NSSC approved the restart of the Gori-1 reactor earlier this month but this has yet to happen due to opposition from civic organizations and local residents.

The protestors have raised doubts over the safety of the reactor originally scheduled for shutdown in 2008 after its 30-year lifespan expired. The government decided to continue its operation until 2018. However, four months of safety checks following the shutdown have done little to allay the fears of protestors.

There are a total of 21 reactors in Korea, supplying 40 percent of the country’s total energy consumption. <The Korea Times/Cho Mu-hyun>

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