South Korea Gives Go-Ahead on Re-start of Two Nuclear Reactors

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Written by Richard Finlayson, Senior International Editor for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--As the process of re-starting some of South Korea's nuclear power reactors proceeds with due care for safety measures and conditions, the country's Nuclear Safety & Security Commission has approved the restarting of two reactors that had been shut down for regularly scheduled maintenance.

A 700-megawatt (MW) reactor in Wolsong, which is about 280 kilometers from Seoul, and a 650-MW installation at Kori, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, will need two or three days to reach full operational capacity, according to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Company, a subsidiary of the country's nuclear operator, Korea Electric Power Corporation.

The country has a nuclear fleet of 23 reactors, six of which will remain offline, including three units closed down after parts were supplied using fake certificates.

Nuclear power capacity generates 33% of South Korea's power needs, with the balance provided by oil, gas and coal, which imposes a heavy import bill on this resource-poor country.

For related information, see February 4, 2013, article - South Korea Plans Additional 13,080 Megawatts of Coal, Gas Power, and November 7, 2012, article - South Korean Power Shutdowns Caused by Uncertified Nuclear Parts.

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