Yeonggwang-gun Holds Structural Integrity Evaluation Meeting for Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4

[Yeonggwang=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jeonseong] The Jeonnam Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Issue Countermeasure Council announced on the 9th that it will hold the "Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4 Containment Building Structural Integrity Evaluation Report Meeting" at 2 p.m. on the 12th in the Yeonggwang County Council meeting room.

This evaluation report was requested by the Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Issue Countermeasure Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Council) to the Korea Society of Structural Engineers following the discovery of voids up to 157 cm deep in the reactor containment building due to poor construction during the construction of Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4.

Additionally, this evaluation was conducted as a third-party assessment after the Council raised concerns about the reliability of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power's (KHNP) own structural integrity evaluation and demanded an independent evaluation, which KHNP promptly accepted.

If the safety of Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4 is announced to have no issues at this report meeting, concrete repair work will be carried out, and finally, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, the regulatory authority, will decide whether to resume operation.

Currently, Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4 has been shut down for about five years due to safety issues such as voids in the reactor containment building concrete discovered during the 16th planned preventive maintenance in 2017.

The seven major issues of Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant include an apology and restoration of honor to the county residents for poor construction, third-party evaluation of the structural integrity of containment buildings of Units 3 and 4, inspection of the internal steel plates of the upper dome of Unit 4 containment building, follow-up measures after investigations by a joint civilian-government expert investigation team, and a National Assembly-level investigation and countermeasure preparation for poor construction.

The Council plans to hold a county residents' briefing session to report detailed information separately when solutions for the seven major issues, including restoration of residents' honor and compensation for damages, are prepared.

Meanwhile, the Council was formed on December 30, 2020, by Yeonggwang County Council, the Pan-County Countermeasure Committee, and Yeonggwang County to resolve the seven major issues related to Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant and serves as a representative negotiation body with KHNP.

Yeonggwang=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jeonseong baekok@asiae.co.kr

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