Nuclear safety commission gives nod to restart of Shin-Hanul 2 reactor
South Korea's nuclear safety commission on Thursday approved the restart of the Shin-Hanul 2 reactor, which had been shut down for maintenance following two malfunctions earlier this year, Yonhap reports.
The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission authorized the reactor to reach a "criticality" level, enabling the resumption of operations after repairs that began April 20, following a coolant leak on March 12 and a gas leak two days later.
Criticality refers to the normal operating condition of a reactor, in which nuclear fuel sustains a fission chain reaction.
During the repair, the commission said the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. also discovered a defect in one of the fuel rods and took necessary measures.
The commission added inspections on 88 items have been completed, with an additional 11 follow-up tests to be conducted after the reactor reaches criticality.
Earlier, it was reported that Kazakhstan’s companies are expected to play a major role in the first nuclear power plant project.