18 Shutdowns Occur from 2016 to August 2020
Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Cho Jeong-sik remarked on Oct. 12 that a total of 18 nuclear power plant shutdowns occurred in South Korea from 2016 to August this year.
Those are divided into five manual shutdowns for the purpose of facility maintenance and 13 unexpected shutdowns attributable to sudden failures. This year, the numbers are one and three, respectively.
Half of the 18 cases resulted from mechanical malfunction. Measuring instrument malfunction resulted in four, turbine failures led to three and an electrical system failure caused one. The mechanical malfunction resulted from control rod misinsertion, seal corrosion, vacuum tube failure, etc.
The latest breakdown occurred at Hanul Unit 6 in July this year. Every reactor coolant pump stopped and the cause is still under investigation.