Internal and external failures due to a large typhoon … “Nuclear power plant reveals vulnerability to disasters”: Kukje Shinmun



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-Kori units 3 and 4 are abnormal in the control equipment.
-Shin-Kori units 1 and 2 have problems with the power system
-Electricity production stopped, took several days to restart

– “Concerns about massive power outages when an accident is repeated”
-Call for multiplexing of transmission networks by civic groups

Under the influence of Typhoon ‘Mysak’, the four nuclear power plants at the Kori Nuclear Power Headquarters (Gori Headquarters) of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power in Gijang-gun, Busan, were shut down, raising the safety issue of nuclear power plants that stop working when a big typhoon strikes. As Kori Unit 1 is permanently suspended and Kori Unit 2 is under maintenance, the power generation function of the Kori Nuclear Power Plant has come to a complete halt, raising concerns that it will disrupt supply and power. electricity demand.

In the aftermath of Typhoon ‘Mysak’, the operation of four Kori nuclear power plants in Gijang-gun, Busan was halted on the 3rd. The picture shows a strong wave rushing off the coast of the Gijang Nuclear Power Plant. Gori on this day. Wonjun Lee Freelancer

Gori headquarters announced that the four nuclear reactors, including Kori 3 and 4 (pressurized light water reactor type, 950,000 kW class) and Shin-Kori 1 and 2 (pressurized light water reactor type, 1 million kW class) ), in Gijang-gun, Busan, were arrested. . These nuclear power plants stopped operating sequentially between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. on this day. According to the Gori headquarters, the problem was caused by equipment inside and outside the power plant due to the typhoon. Kori units 3 and 4 shut down due to a malfunction of the ratio differential protection relay in the power plant. This relay is a device that stops power generation by checking the generator current flow and operating when an abnormality occurs. Although there was no abnormality in the flow of current, the Gori headquarters estimated that the relay was operated due to the influence of strong winds.

Shin-Kori Units 1 and 2 were closed due to an off-site power system problem. This facility is a transmission route that is used when the power plant exchanges the electricity generated with the KEPCO substation. According to the Gori headquarters, both the main power system (765kV) and the standby power system (154kV) malfunctioned early this day, and the emergency diesel generator was activated. Currently, the power plant has been stabilized by restoring the standby power system. In addition, part of the roof of the Shin-Kori Unit 3 turbine building was damaged due to strong winds. However, Gori’s headquarters explained that “the blackout of 70,000 homes in Busan due to a typhoon on this day has nothing to do with the suspension of the fourth nuclear power plant.”

At the Gori headquarters, the transmission facilities of Shin-Kori Units 3 and 4 in Ulju-gun, Ulsan, were flooded due to recent heavy rains. After 17 years, when the nuclear power plant was closed again due to a typhoon, civil society raised a question about the safety of the nuclear power plant. In a statement of the day, the Busan Environmental Movement Association said: “As the phenomenon repeats itself after this event, the vulnerability and risk of nuclear power plants exposed through ‘Maemi’ and ‘Mysak’ inevitably get worse. ” Even if the external power supply is cut off, such as a power outage, an accident may occur such as a shutdown. “Young-hee Kim (lawyer), CEO of ‘Sunflower’, a group of post-nuclear law firms, He said: “If the nuclear power plant is unexpectedly shut down due to a natural disaster, it could cause a massive blackout. He stressed that the reason the cicada and panbaki accidents happened again in 2003 shows KHNP’s restless attitude: “After the Fukushima disaster, there is a desperate need to take steps to multiplex the transmission network as in the case of Japan.”

On the other hand, there is the potential for power supply and demand issues to emerge as the Kori nuclear power plant is shut down, accounting for about 5% of the total electricity supply. The city of Busan predicted that it would take about a week for the Gori headquarters to restore these facilities after confirming the exact cause and restarting the nuclear power plant with the permission of the Nuclear Safety Commission. An official from Gori headquarters said: “There are no accidents such as radioactive leaks due to this incident. At present, it is difficult to determine the time of the restart, but we will quickly investigate the cause and recover so that there are no interruptions in the supply and demand of energy. ”

Reporter Minjoo Kim [email protected]

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