nuclear-news

Concern growing about poor safety of South Korea’s nuclear reactors

Nuclear reactor shut down for safety reasons, Aug.1,2012 Incident at Younggwang plant the latest in a long string of nuclear troubles, The Hanyoreh, By Noh Hyung-woong, staff reporter Reactor 6 at Younggwang Nuclear Power Plant in South Jeolla province was shut down again on July 30 due to a malfunctioning reactor rod….

The repeated problems with Younggwang reactor 6 have residents in the area nervous. Reactor 6 first broke down during a 2002 trial run. Since then, it has gone out of action 9 times in past 10 years.
Among those cases, some were trivial, due to lightning strikes and a mistake on operation. But in Dec. 2008, the reactor was stopped because warning signals appeared, indicating the reactor rod was in the wrong position.
Yang-yi Won-young director of Common Action for Nuke Free Society said, “The reactor rod is the last line of defense against a serious accident. It was fortunate that the reactor was shut down in time. If it hadn‘t been, it would have created a terrible disaster.”
Some brought up the problem of Korean-style pressurized light water reactors, citing their frequent breakdowns. “The reactors that recently broke down, including reactor 6 at the Younggwang plant, are localized as Korean style,” said Professor Suh Kune-yull at the
Nuclear Engineering Dept. of Seoul National University. “It seems that their electronic circuits and other components fail frequently.”…..
more and more people raised the questions of the safety of nuclear power plants. In particular, the Younggwang accident happened while MKE has been moving to restart Kori Nuclear reactor No.1…… http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_business/545178.html

August 2, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, South Korea