Unit 3 at Saeul Nuclear Power Plant in South Korea Shut Down Again During Trial Operation

Unit 3 at the Saeul Nuclear Power Plant, operated by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), was shut down again during trial operation. The unit, located in Ulju County, Ulsan, South Korea, has a generating capacity of 1,400 MW. According to the plant operator, operators manually shut down the reactor at approximately 3:01 p.m. on the 6th. The shutdown was initiated after a leak was confirmed in a pipe related to turbine steam condensate. The plant stated that the manual shutdown was carried out to ensure facility stability and facilitate maintenance. The plant also stated that the shutdown caused no radiological impact and that the unit is currently in a stable condition. Personnel are analyzing the cause of the pipe leak. This...

2026-09-07

Cause Identified for Automatic Shutdown of Unit 3 at Shin-Kori Nuclear Power Plant in South Korea

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) of South Korea reported on the 4th that it has completed its investigation into the automatic shutdown of Unit 3 at the Shin-Kori nuclear power plant during commissioning tests on the 11th of last month, and has approved the resumption of commissioning tests for the unit. The investigation confirmed that the direct cause of the incident was an operator error in inputting parameters during the process of restoring reactor power after the tests. According to the investigation findings, at the time of the incident, while setting the parameters for the turbine control valve position limiter, the operator mistakenly entered a value intended to limit the upper opening limit of the valve as a value in the valve closing direction. This limiter is used to prevent a rapid increase in the amount of steam entering the turbine for power generation within a short period. After the parameter error, the unit experienced an interruption in power output at approximately 80% power level, followed by an automatic shutdown.

2026-09-04

Korea's Shin-Kori Unit 1 Reaches Full Power After Scheduled Maintenance

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced that Shin-Kori Unit 1 reached 100% rated power at approximately 3:07 a.m. on the 26th. The unit is a 1,400 MW-class pressurized water reactor. Shin-Kori Unit 1 began its sixth scheduled preventive maintenance on July 2 and resumed power generation on July 23. During the maintenance period, the unit underwent statutory inspections as required by Korea's Nuclear Safety Act. Shin-Kori nuclear power plant stated that this maintenance included nuclear fuel replacement, as well as maintenance and inspection of major equipment and facilities to enhance the safety and reliability of the power generation facility....

2026-08-26

South Korea Approves Restart of Shin-Kori Unit 1

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) of South Korea announced on August 21 that it has approved the restart of Shin-Kori Unit 1, located in Ulju County, Ulsan. The unit has been under routine inspection since July 2. On the same day, the commission approved the unit to reach criticality. Criticality refers to the state in which a sustained nuclear fission chain reaction can be maintained within the reactor core, with a balanced neutron population. Once criticality is achieved, the reactor can gradually resume operation under safely controlled conditions. The NSSC stated that this routine inspection involved 98 inspection items required before the reactor could reach criticality, of which 86 have been completed, confirming that the unit meets the conditions for safely achieving criticality.

2026-08-22

Automatic Reactor Trip at Unit 3 of Shin-Kori Nuclear Power Plant During Commissioning

Unit 3 of the Shin-Kori nuclear power plant in Ulju, Ulsan, South Korea, is undergoing commissioning ahead of its planned commercial operation this year. The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) stated that it had received a report from Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) that the unit's reactor automatically tripped at approximately 20:56 on the 11th. Unit 3 of the Shin-Kori plant received its operating license from the NSSC in December last year and is currently in the power ascension testing phase. KHNP reported that during the commissioning test, when reactor power reached 80%, the unit experienced a loss of power transmission, and the reactor subsequently tripped automatically. The unit has been confirmed to remain in a safe shutdown condition...

2026-08-12

South Korea Accelerates Safety Reviews of Long-Term Operating Nuclear Reactors and Advances Licensing of First Spent Fuel Dry Storage Facility

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) of South Korea stated at its second-half work report meeting on August 4 that it will accelerate safety reviews of long-term operating nuclear reactors while simultaneously advancing regulatory efforts such as licensing systems for spent fuel dry storage facilities and small modular reactors. Under the plan, the NSSC will conduct safety inspections on nine reactors applying for continued operation, with review standards referencing newly built nuclear power plants and confirming safety margins in consideration of the characteristics of long-term unit operation. Among these, whether Kori Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4 will be approved for continued operation in the second half of this year, and whether Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 and 2 will be approved for continued operation in the first half of next year, are the near-term review priorities...

2026-08-05