NSSC Allows Restart of Hanbit Unit 3 Following Regular Inspection

Final Safety Confirmation Scheduled After Residual Tests Including Output Rise Test...

Eom Jae-sik, Chairman of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission announced on the 12th that it has permitted the restart (criticality) of Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3, which has been undergoing regular inspections since May.

The NSSC explained that during the regular inspection, it examined 88 items that must be completed before criticality and confirmed that the reactor can safely achieve criticality in the future.

During the regular inspection, all 272 locations of Containment Liner Plate (CLP) inside the containment building that were found to be below the standard thickness (5.4 mm) were either replaced or subjected to engineering evaluation, and repairs were completed on 124 detected voids.

The exterior wall of the containment building, where 184 locations of exposed rebar were identified, was also repaired.

As a result of inspecting the grease leakage paths found in some voids, it was confirmed that there were no structural cracks in the containment building concrete, and the grease leakage was evaluated to have occurred along the concrete construction joints from the time of construction.

The NSSC additionally inspected leakage points in the containment building, identified two more locations where the CLP was penetrated due to being pressed by foreign objects (such as nuts), and completed repairs on those areas.

Regarding the implementation status of safety enhancement measures, 31 out of 35 items from the Fukushima follow-up measures have been completed, with 4 still in progress. For the incorporation of accident and failure cases from the past three years, 17 out of 19 cases have been completed, and 2 are proceeding as planned.

The NSSC stated that for Hanbit Unit 3, which has been permitted to achieve criticality, safety will be finally confirmed through nine subsequent inspections, including power ascension tests.

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