Heavy Water Leak at Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant Unit 4 During Maintenance

The Wolsong Nuclear Power Division of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced today (July 2) that heavy water leaked from Wolsong Unit 4 (a 700MW pressurized heavy water reactor), which is currently shut down for planned preventive maintenance, and has since been recovered.

According to the Wolsong Nuclear Power Division, the leak occurred at 2:26 p.m. yesterday while transferring heavy water to replace ion exchange resin in the heavy water purification system. Due to a malfunction in some equipment, heavy water leaked into the collection sump inside the reactor building.

In response, the Wolsong Nuclear Power Division recovered 208 kg of heavy water.

Heavy water is water used for cooling or moderating nuclear reactors.

It is artificially produced through the bonding of oxygen molecules with deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen.

An official from the Wolsong headquarters stated, "We have confirmed that there is no impact on the external environment," and added, "We plan to identify the cause of the equipment malfunction and take necessary measures."

(Photo: Provided by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.