Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., which supplies 40 percent of the nation’s electricity, shut its oldest nuclear reactor to fix a technical problem. The unit of Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEP) closed the 33-year- old Kori No. 1 reactor at 8:46 p.m. local time yesterday after the circuit breakers of an electrical system failed, Jang Mun Ki, head of safety at the plant, said by phone today. The electrical system isn’t vital to the reactor’s operation, and there’s no radiation leak, Jang said, confirming a report by Yonhap News.
The closure came after South Korea’s political opposition asked the government to decommission all of the country’s old reactors, including the 587-megawatt Kori No. 1. Lee Jung Hee, chairwoman of the Democratic Labor Party, said on April 11 the nation should review its policy to build more nuclear plants.
Kori No. 1 in Busan, 453 kilometers (282 miles) southeast of Seoul, began commercial operations in April 1978. The reactor may resume operation tomorrow, pending the government’s approval, Jang said. Read More
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