Government Alarmed by 'Power Shortage', Hastens Nuclear Plant Restart

Two out of three phases deployed ahead of schedule... Reserve power supply rises to 6% range

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] Among the three nuclear power plants restarting this week, two will be brought online earlier than originally scheduled. This decision comes as the government, concerned about blackouts due to the heatwave, hastened the completion of nuclear plant maintenance and decided to put them back into operation. Analysts say this ultimately reconfirms the importance of nuclear power amid unstable electricity supply during the summer. The government's 'nuclear phase-out' policy appears to be losing momentum.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 20th, following the restart of Shin-Wolsong Unit 1 (1000 MW) on the 18th, Shin-Kori Unit 4 (1400 MW) and Wolseong Unit 3 (700 MW) will begin operation on the 21st and 23rd, respectively. As a result, the forecasted reserve margin, which indicates the surplus power supply, will rise from a minimum of 4.2% to the 6% range.

This week's nuclear restarts have been moved up from the original schedule. Shin-Wolsong Unit 1 was initially planned to restart at the end of August, and Shin-Kori Unit 4 at the end of this month. According to the 'Summer Electricity Supply and Demand Outlook and Measures' announced by the Ministry on the 1st, Shin-Wolsong Unit 1 and Shin-Kori Unit 4 were not included in the power supply plan for the fourth week of July, when the reserve margin was expected to be at its lowest this summer. However, as the heatwave worsened with daytime temperatures expected to reach up to 36 degrees Celsius this week, the government advanced the restart dates by up to about a month. The Ministry had anticipated that the reserve margin this week could drop to a minimum of 4.2%, less than half of the stable threshold (10%). Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum also stated the day before that, anticipating the reserve power to be at its lowest, "We will bring forward the operation of nuclear plants under maintenance and actively manage demand."

Within the power industry, there are criticisms that the government's decision to restart nuclear plants early is inconsistent. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission plans to approve the restart of nuclear plants under maintenance amid power supply instability, which contradicts the nuclear phase-out policy that delayed the operation of new nuclear plants for a considerable period.

A government official emphasized that the nuclear restarts are "not early deployments." The official explained, "In the case of Shin-Wolsong Unit 1, it was originally scheduled to operate in June, but it took more time due to the need for inspections." The official added, "With the three nuclear plants restarting, an additional 2150 MW of nuclear power supply will be secured this week compared to last week," and "We expect the reserve margin to be over 7 GW, so there should be sufficient power surplus."

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