S. Korea's nuclear commission approves restart of shutdown reactor

SEJONG, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's nuclear commission on Friday approved the restart of a reactor that went into emergency shutdown earlier this month after a problem with a safety device was fixed.

The 950,000 kilowatt Hanul No. 1 light water nuclear in Uljin, some 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, went offline after "warning lights" went off on Jan. 19.

The commission said an inspection team checking the reactor found faulty insulation in one of the safety system relays. It said this glitch inadvertently set off the alarm, even when there was no serious problem with the Hanul 1.

It said the relay was replaced and that the new component met the country's safety requirements.

"The Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corp. (KHNP), which operates the country's nuclear power plants, has pledged to tighten monitoring of its reactors," the commission said.

The Hanul 1 is expected to be able to reach full power generation output on Jan. 31.

The reactor, which first went online in September 1988, and is one of the older reactors in the country that has 24 commercial reactors. Of the total, one has been earmarked to be dismantled after completing its operational life cycle.

yonngong@yna.co.kr
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