A Hanwool Power Plant Manager Who Needed Only 4 Years After Licensing... Requirements Strengthened

NSSC Reviews and Approves 3 Items Including 'Enforcement Rules of the Nuclear Safety Act'
Strengthening Appointment Requirements for Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Plant Site Managers
Integrated Lifecycle Management of Radiation Workers' Exposure Information Starting Next Year

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The appointment requirements for the chief executive officer (plant manager) of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) plants, which previously only required obtaining a reactor operator supervisor license and having more than four years of nuclear power plant experience, will be significantly strengthened. The cumulative lifetime radiation exposure of radiation workers, which had been managed separately by different ministries, will be integrated and managed starting next year.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) announced on the 11th that it held the 125th committee meeting and deliberated and approved three agenda items including these changes.

◆Plant Chief Executive Officer: Experience requirement changed from 4 years to 6 years, with 6 months of reactor experience and over 5 years of supervisory experience

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power headquarters building. (Photo by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power)

The NSSC judged that the rapid increase in thermal output incident at Hanbit Unit 1 in May last year was due to the lack of knowledge and experience of the then plant manager and operations manager.

Going forward, the plant manager, operations management officer (operations manager), and maintenance management officer (technical manager) must obtain a reactor operator supervisor license (technical managers must acquire knowledge of maintenance technical standards) or possess appropriate knowledge and experience suitable for their respective fields.

In addition, the plant manager must have at least 6 years of operation or maintenance experience at the plant, including 6 months of experience with the same reactor, and must also have at least 5 years of experience in command and supervisory positions.

The operations manager must additionally meet the requirements of 'at least 4 years of operation experience, over 6 months of reactor field experience, and at least 3 years of command and supervisory experience.'

The technical manager must also satisfy the requirements of 'possession of maintenance-related technical standards knowledge, at least 4 years of maintenance experience, over 6 months of reactor field experience, and at least 3 years of command and supervisory experience.'

Previously, senior managers were recognized as qualified if they held a reactor operator supervisor license and had more than 4 years of nuclear power plant experience, based on U.S. industrial standards.

Additionally, KHNP must mandatorily conduct internal verification to ensure that senior managers possess the necessary knowledge and experience before appointment.

◆Integrated lifetime management of radiation workers' exposure information starting next year

Source: Nuclear Safety and Security Commission

On the same day, the NSSC also approved a plan to establish a system next year to integrate and manage the radiation exposure doses of radiation workers in the medical field throughout their lifetime.

Until now, radiation workers in isotope therapy rooms were managed under the Nuclear Safety Act, while those working in X-ray rooms within medical institutions were managed under the Medical Service Act, etc., depending on their field of work.

Each ministry separately managed individuals' exposure information. This caused issues such as information loss and difficulties in managing multiple dosimeters per individual.

The NSSC, in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and others, decided to manage individuals' total cumulative radiation exposure using a single dosimeter going forward.

They also partially revised enforcement rules and notifications to allow submission of previous records upon changing institutions, enabling cumulative management.

Chairman Eom Jae-sik of the NSSC said, "This revision will allow more systematic protection of workers from radiation," and added, "We will proceed with procedures such as gathering opinions from related agencies and legislative notice, aiming for implementation next year."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.