Jeonnam Provincial Council Launches On-Site Investigation of Safety Concerns at Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant

'Hanbit Units 3, 4, and 5 Shutdown Causes Hundreds of Billions Won Loss in Local Resource Facility Tax'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant has recently raised concerns among residents about safety management due to frequent accidents, such as Unit 5 stopping again just 20 days after resuming operation following maintenance.

The Safety, Construction, and Firefighting Committee of the Jeonnam Provincial Council announced on the 6th that it visited the Yeonggwang Hanbit Nuclear Power Headquarters on the 5th as part of the on-site investigation schedule for the 2nd regular session of the 348th administrative audit.

On that day, the on-site investigation began with a status report by Lee Seungcheol, head of Hanbit Nuclear Power Headquarters, in the main conference room, followed by a Q&A session. Afterwards, the committee moved inside Hanbit Unit 6 to inspect the turbine power generation facilities, the main control room, and the spent nuclear fuel storage pool.

At the meeting, the committee members pointed out, “It is natural for residents to have a negative perception of the nuclear power plant due to issues such as pore occurrence at Hanbit, suspicions of reactor welding rod misuse, frequent shutdowns, and fire incidents,” adding, “Institutional measures must be established to alleviate residents’ anxiety and maintain continuous communication.”

They further urged, “Starting with Hanbit Unit 1 in 2025, followed by Unit 2 in 2026, Unit 3 in 2035, and Unit 4 in 2036, the design life of these units will expire one after another, so a comprehensive plan for decommissioning must be urgently prepared from now on.”

They also emphasized, “Due to the pore issue causing Units 3 and 4 to be shut down for several years, power generation losses have exceeded 2 trillion won, and hundreds of billions of won in local resource facility tax budgets that should have gone to local residents have disappeared,” adding, “Measures such as raising the current tax rate of 1 won per kWh should be proposed to enable payments based on normal operation.”

Committee Chair Choi Mugyeong stated, “As the standing committee responsible for residents’ safety, we conducted the on-site investigation to directly observe the site and identify problems,” and added, “Based on today’s investigation, we will revisit measures to strengthen nuclear power plant safety in the upcoming administrative audit.”

Meanwhile, the Safety, Construction, and Firefighting Committee of the Jeonnam Provincial Council is conducting an administrative audit over 14 days from the 3rd to the 16th, targeting three offices under its jurisdiction (Citizen Safety Office, Fire Headquarters, and Construction and Transportation Bureau).

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