Yeonggwang nuclear plant shut down

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Yeonggwang nuclear plant shut down

A nuclear reactor has been shut down due to a technical glitch, taking the number of plants offline to six out of 23, state-run Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Corp. said yesterday.

Asia’s fourth-largest economy has been striving to avoid the risk of blackouts during times of peak demand after a series of nuclear reactor closures linked to a safety scandal.

Power shortage risks have waned as winter nears its end.

“To protect the reactor and maintain overall safety, it is usually automatically shut down if there are any signs of problems. It will take some time to verify the exact cause of the shutdown,” said a KHNP spokesman.

The closed 950-megawatt reactor is located Yeonggwang, 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of Seoul. Korea’s reactors generate about a third of its electricity.

Nuclear reactor closures have become a sensitive issue in Korea after a series of scandals over parts supplied using fake documents since late 2012, resulting in the closure of some reactors.

Seoul has also faced public pressure to curb its use of nuclear power after Japan’s Fukushima disaster, and plans to cut its reliance on nuclear power to 29 percent of total power supply by 2035.

Reuters

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