Nuclear agency approves Hanbit 4 reactor restart after maintenance

nuclear reactor-restart

Nuclear agency approves Hanbit 4 reactor restart after maintenance

SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's nuclear safety agency said Friday that it has approved the restart of the Hanbit 4 reactor upon the completion of maintenance inspections, after the reactor was idle for five years.

The 1,000-megawatt pressurized water reactor, which started commercial power generation in 1996, has been offline since May in 2017 as a number of cracks were found during a regular inspection.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said the reactor in Yeonggwang, 320 kilometers south of Seoul, has met the criteria for resumption and is ready to restart.

Currently, South Korea operates 25 reactors, generating about 30 percent of the country's electricity.

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