Hanul Unit 1 nuclear reactor halts for 27th planned maintenance, restart set for December
In short
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power's Hanul Nuclear Power Headquarters stopped generation at Hanul Unit 1 at 10:00 on 20 October and began its 27th planned preventive maintenance. Work includes fuel reloading and an inspection of the inside of the reactor vessel. The unit is due to resume generation in December.
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The Hanul Nuclear Power Headquarters of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power stopped generation at Hanul Unit 1 at 10:00 on 20 October and began the unit's 27th planned preventive maintenance. The unit is a pressurized water reactor rated at 950,000 kW and is located in Uljin, North Gyeongsang. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
During the maintenance the unit is to undergo fuel removal and reloading, an inspection of the inside of the reactor vessel, and maintenance of the main transformer. Hankook Ilbo and Newsis also listed the station auxiliary transformer among the equipment to be serviced. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Hankook Ilbo reported that the maintenance is to last 59 days. After it, the unit is to go through statutory inspections and a conformity check by the regulator, then receive approval from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, before resuming generation in December. Yonhap and Newsis gave the same sequence of approvals and the December timing without a duration. Newsis quoted a Hanul headquarters official as saying generation would resume after statutory inspections under the Nuclear Safety Act and the regulator's conformity check, with the commission's operating approval. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Hankook Ilbo described planned preventive maintenance as work to keep a plant's equipment within design standards in order to prevent faults. It said the work is usually done on a 15 to 18 month cycle and uses the fuel reloading period for inspections, checks and parts replacement that cannot be carried out during normal operation. Yonhap reported that Hanul Unit 1 has achieved three consecutive cycles of fault-free safe operation. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The outage takes a 950,000 kW pressurized water reactor offline for scheduled work until December. The documents give no figures on any effect on power supply.
Key facts
- Hanul Unit 1, a 950,000 kW pressurized water reactor in Uljin, North Gyeongsang, stopped generation at 10:00 on 20 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The shutdown began the unit's 27th planned preventive maintenance. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Planned work includes fuel reloading, an inspection of the inside of the reactor vessel and maintenance of the main transformer. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reported the maintenance is to last 59 days. [ 2 ]
- Generation is to resume in December after statutory inspections, a conformity check by the regulator and approval from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Yonhap reported that the unit has run three consecutive cycles without a fault. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power's Hanul Nuclear Power Headquarters stopped generation at Hanul Unit 1 at 10:00 on 20 October and began its 27th planned preventive maintenance. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The unit plans to resume generation in December after statutory inspections, a regulator conformity check and Nuclear Safety and Security Commission approval. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- The exact restart date. The documents say only that generation is to resume in December.
- The length of the maintenance period. Only Hankook Ilbo gives a duration, 59 days.