Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, the nation’s sole nuclear power plant operator, recently claimed that old facilities can be sustained via its advanced safety protocols for operating nuclear reactors.
The safety of a nuclear power plant is not affected by the plant’s age as long as it is maintained properly, according to the KHNP.
While it is argued that facilities can only gradually deteriorate with time, eventually leading to frequent breakdowns and public hazards, the KHNP believes such concerns derive from misconceptions and a lack of understanding about equipment lifecycles.
The Kori Nuclear Power Plant along the southern coastline in Ulsan. (Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power)
“There aren’t any real standards or guidelines for determining whether or not a plant is too old to safely operate,” the company said. “Some have called for the Kori reactor 1 and Wolseong reactor 1 to be shut down simply because it has been over 30 years since they were constructed, but all of the two reactors’ core safety equipment and systems have been replaced. So, in a sense, both reactors are even younger than most other plants.”
The Kori 1 reactor, for instance, has been officially authorized ― both by government and the International Atomic Energy Agency standards ― to operate until 2017. The KHNP has strengthened the plant’s safety level by replacing most of its equipment and facilities such as its low pressure turbines and steam generators.
Moreover, most breakdowns that have thus far occurred were in the early stages of operation when technical skills were insufficient, said the company.
The Kori 1 reactor has had two temporary suspensions since it was last authorized in December 2007.
Furthermore, the lifespan given to a nuclear power plant when it is first established is merely the minimum term considering various factors like economic feasibility and, in many cases, with proper maintenance it can be operated for many more years, the company explained.
Another factor to consider, the KHNP said, is the improvements that have been made in scientific technology and new measures that have been adopted in response to the aftermath of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster.
“We have practically upgraded almost all aspects in terms of safety in order to prevent a disaster like the one in Fukushima,” said the KHNP.
“From enormous seawalls that can protect the reactors from a tsunami to emergency generator vehicles that can power the plants for 200 hours to 56 other countermeasures for worst-case scenarios, the KHNP has prepared to the best of its ability to keep safety a No. 1 priority,” it added.
By Kim Joo-hyun (jhk@heraldcorp.com)
