SAFETY CONCERNS OVER OLD NUCLEAR REACTORS

[Anchor Lead]

The government is extending the lifespan of twelve old nuclear reactors until 2036 to boost nuclear power generation. But the issue is that not sufficient safety measures are in place for these old reactors. In fact, the shutdown of Kori nuclear power plant unit No. 3 last year wasn't the first such accident. Worse yet, safety measures were there but weren't followed.

[Pkg]

Last July, Kori nuclear power plant unit number three suddenly stopped operating. The accident was caused by a single component. A part in the shutoff valve connected to the reactor's steam generator was damaged, shutting down the valve and subsequently the reactor. This incident caused Kori 3 to be suspended for about four months.

[Soundbite] Prof. Park Jong-woon(Dongguk Univ.) : "The shutoff valve stops the radioactive water from leaking as steam from the reactor. It shut off when it shouldn’t have."

This wasn't the first of such accidents. The Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety found that Kori 4 and 2 stopped operating in 1993 and 2009, respectively, due to a faulty shutoff valve. In the wake of the two accidents, The Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power set the shutoff valve parts replacement cycle as three years and minimized high-power operation. But such measures were not followed. Kori 3 continued its high-power reactor tests and the valve parts were used for some 12 years. In fact, the KHNP stated that the details were not disseminated as officers in charge were replaced without specifying valve component replacement cycle on the maintenance process guideline or job lists.

[Soundbite] Byun Jae-il(Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee) : "Technological solutions were put in place, but if people tasked to carry out a job properly repeatedly fail to do so, trust in nuclear safety inevitably falls."

The KHNP said since last year's incident, the shutoff valve component replacement cycle was included in the job list and the reactor test power output range was changed.