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| No. 2 nuclear reactor at the new Weolseong Nuclear Power Plant in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province |
By Lee Hyo-sik
The second reactor at the new Weolseong nuclear power plant in Gyeongju, 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul, has successfully been in commercial operation since July 24, helping power authorities meet increased demand for electricity during the summer.
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), which operates the power plant, said Sunday that the No. 2 reactor, capable of generating 7.9 billion kilowatts of electricity annually, has performed without a glitch over the past month, proving the safety and operational reliability of Korea's nuclear reactors.
"It took nearly ten years to build and begin commercially operating the second New Weolseong reactor," a KHNP official said. "We conducted a successful test run from November last year to July. The reactor passed all the required tests."
With the second new Weolseong reactor in operation, Korea now has a total of 24 reactors, which were built along its coastlines, making KHNP the world's third-largest nuclear power operator after France's EDF and Russia's Rosatom. The reactors are able to produce a combined 21,716 million watts of electricity annually, accounting for 22.5 percent of the nation's entire power capacity.
"The latest reactor can meet nearly 13 percent of the power demand in Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province. The facility will significantly help meet the growing electricity demand in the region in the coming years," the official said. "We invested 5.31 trillion won over the past ten years to build and operate the reactor. The construction project created jobs for six million people and provided a significant boost to the regional economy."
He then said the second new Weolseong reactor has enabled KHNP to meet surging power demand during this summer.
"Since July, we have been running a contingency team, which has been monitoring movements in power demand 24 hours a day," he said. "We have also established a hot line with other agencies to more effectively cope with sudden changes in electricity use. We will continue to do our best to safely operate nuclear power plants and provide electricity at lower costs."
