The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) announced today (July 16) that it has approved the restart of the Wolsong Unit 3 and Hanul Unit 4 nuclear power plants, which had been undergoing periodic inspections.

The NSSC stated that it confirmed the safe operation of the Wolsong Unit 3 reactor after inspecting 85 items during the periodic inspection that began on September 26 of last year.

However, during this inspection, it was discovered that some pipe supports were installed differently from the design drawings (configuration mismatch), leading the NSSC to order Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to conduct an expanded inspection.

As a result, configuration mismatches were identified in 637 out of 7,904 safety-related supports.

Of those 637, 539 were found to have no safety issues, and repairs were completed on the remaining 98.

The NSSC also approved the restart of Hanul Unit 4 on the same day, which had been undergoing periodic inspections since May 18.

The commission confirmed the safety of the unit after inspecting 82 out of 92 items.

The NSSC plans to conduct follow-up tests, including power ascension tests, at both Wolsong Unit 3 and Hanul Unit 4 to finally verify their safety.
(Photo: Captured from Nuclear Safety and Security Commission Facebook, Yonhap News)