Moon Seung-wook Visits Energy Facilities in Gyeongbuk and Gangwon Special Disaster Areas... Urges Safety Management

Minister Moon Seung-wook of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Minister Ahn Kyung-duk of the Ministry of Employment and Labor are attending the Emergency Economic Central Countermeasures Headquarters meeting held on the morning of the 17th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Moon Seung-wook, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, announced on the 18th that he visited the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Hanul Nuclear Power Headquarters located in Uljin-gun, Gyeongbuk, and the Korea Gas Corporation Samcheok LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) base located in Samcheok-si, Gangwon-do. This visit was to inspect the safety management status and emergency response system of energy facilities related to the wildfires in Gyeongbuk and Gangwon.

The Uljin Hanul Nuclear Power Headquarters is responsible for about 30% of domestic nuclear power generation and currently operates 6 reactors (Hanul Units 1 to 6). Two reactors (Shin Hanul Units 1 and 2) are currently under construction. The Samcheok LNG base has built and operates the world's first and largest 270,000㎘-class LNG storage tank, supplying natural gas, a national energy source, stably to the Gangwon and Yeongnam regions.

Minister Moon Seung-wook received reports on disaster prevention activities and damage status related to the recent wildfires, checked disaster response and training plans, and emphasized the importance of thorough safety prevention and response systems for energy facilities in preparation for various disasters such as large-scale wildfires and climate anomalies.

He also highly evaluated the efforts of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and Korea Gas Corporation in safely managing facilities without disruption to power and natural gas supply by timely responding according to their own disaster management manuals amid concerns over the enlargement and prolongation of wildfires.

He ordered thorough safety management of nuclear power plant operations and stable supply management of natural gas. While fully utilizing the 24 operating reactors, he requested Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power to complete the reactors under construction promptly while meeting the heightened safety standards.

In particular, he visited the main control room and spent fuel storage pool of Shin Hanul Unit 1 and ordered that Shin Hanul Units 1 and 2, which are undergoing test operations at the Hanul Nuclear Power Headquarters, complete construction without delay through swift testing to contribute to stable power supply.

Amid the recent escalation of the Russia-Ukraine situation causing a sharp rise in international natural gas prices, he mentioned the successful response to the winter crisis through active cooperation and comprehensive countermeasures between the government and Korea Gas Corporation, and urged Korea Gas Corporation to make every effort to ensure stable supply management of natural gas in the future.

He then visited Uljin County Office and Uljin Fire Station to check the damage status and difficulties of residents and explain support plans for the special disaster area. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy also plans to promptly proceed with electricity and gas bill reductions for the affected areas such as Uljin-gun and actively work for rapid damage recovery.

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