A whole view of Shin Hanul Nuclear Power Units 1 &2. (Photo: Gyeongsangbuk-do provincial govt.)

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) gave a conditional go-ahead to Shin-Hanul Nuclear Power Unit 1, about 15 months after it was dedicated.

The Nuclear Power Unit was dedicated last April, but NSSC’s scrutiny had been put on hold. Shin-Hanul Nuclear Power Unit 1 became the second nuclear facility to get approved for operation under the current government, which has weaned the nation off nuclear power.

Shin-Hanul Nuclear Power Unit 1 will be able to be put into commercial operation around next March after eight months of testing following nuclear fuel loading.

Chairman Uhm Jae-sik of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) presides over the 142th meeting on July 9 in which NSSC gave a conditional go-ahead on the operation of Shin Hanul Nuclear Power Units 1 & 2. (Photo: NSCC)

But, NSSC attached four conditions to the conditional approval of the nuclear facility. The commission demanded complete verification of safety issues, including the plant's passive autocatalytic recombiner (PAR), which is designed to prevent hydrogen explosions by reducing hydrogen concentration levels from the reactor's containment building during natural disasters.

The commission wants outcomes of testing the PAR be submitted prior to the commercial operation of the new nuclear facility. But the regulatory agency ordered additional measures if necessary.

The testing period can be extended from as early as coming November to next July, an NSSC official said.

If the testing of the PAR is delayed, chances are high that Shin-Hanul Nuclear Power Unit 1 will have to wait for four more months even after his trial operation is done successfully by next April.

The second condition is about taking follow-up measures to consult with related government agencies to regulate the frequency of flights to reduce potential aircraft disasters.

NSSC’s conditional approval was not done unanimously since some members put up opposition, citing related security issues.

Shin-Hanul Nuclear Power Unit 1 is the Korean standard reactor. It has a power generation capacity of 1400MW with a design longevity of 60 years. The facility got the conditional nod for its operation 15 months later than previous nuclear power units.

Rep. Park Dae-chul of the People Power Party said Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), which scheduled Shin-Hanul Nuclear Power Unit 1 to go into commercial operation last December, should shoulder an additional 540 billion won in project costs related to the delay – 1.1 billion won each day until next March when it begins operations. Rep. Park estimated lost opportunity costs related to failure to earn electricity-generating revenues at 45 billion won monthly.

The government plans to reduce nuclear energy to account for 23.9 percent of the country's total power generation by 2030 from around 30 percent last year. It targets raising the proportion of renewable sources to 20 percent from 6.6 percent over the same period.

According to the KHNP, 16 of the country's 24 nuclear power plants are currently operational, with seven undergoing maintenance. The Shin-Kori No. 4 has halted operations since late May after a fire incident.

Korea is expected to have 28 nuclear reactors by 2022, considering those already under construction, but the number will gradually drop to 14 by 2038 as aging plants are decommissioned.