By Choi Kyong-ae
The consecutive shutdown of two nuclear reactors in about a week is fueling worries that the country may face a power shortage this winter.
The No. 3 Hanvit reactor went off line early Tuesday following the stoppage of the Gori No. 1 reactor six days earlier, according to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP).
As the two reactors unexpectedly shutdown due to faulty turbines, experts say other similar incidents may occur in the coming months,.
"What is most feared now is a possible large-scale incident that could result in major power supply disruptions to the whole country during winter," Jeon Jae-wan, chief of the Energy and Environment Industry Team at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (KIET), told The Korea Times by telephone.
Jeon said KHNP and the government need to immediately conduct a thorough check up on reactors in operation to avoid any similar stoppages in the coming high-demand season.
Currently, seven out of 23 reactors are offline for regular maintenance, cable replacement following a corruption scandal or turbine-related problems. The 23 reactors with a combined capacity of 20,716 megawatts satisfy about 30 percent of the country's overall electricity demand, according to the KHNP.
"We are targeting to put as many as five reactors back on track by the end of December, which is a tough job though," a spokesman said by telephone. KHNP is the state-run operator of nuclear power plants, which generate electricity at cheaper costs compared to that produced by more expensive fossil fuel sources such as coal, oil and gas.
"So a delayed resumption of firing up the reactors will cost taxpayers more money," said the KIET researcher.
Korea has experienced chronic power shortage problems during the high-demand seasons in which heat or cold drives up electricity use.
Particularly in recent years, an increasing number of individual and corporate consumers have turned to cheaper electricity away from more expensive alternative energy sources such as kerosene and liquefied natural gas, the state-owned Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) said.
With a cold wave expected to come earlier than usual this winter, power needs for heating began to rise two week ago, a KEPCO spokesman said.
"We are keeping a watchful eye on the supply and demand of electricity to avoid any rolling, or controlled, blackouts to maintain power supply during winter," he said.
KEPCO expects the country's overall power needs to reach a record 80 million to 81 million kilowatts per day sometime in mid January.
In September 2011, a spike in demand forced Asia's fourth-largest economy to use a controlled blackout for the first time to regulate consumption. The government asked public organizations across the country to take urgent measures to cut electricity consumption and businesses to join power saving efforts.
In its long-term plan, the government will cut its reliance on nuclear energy to between 22 and 29 percent by 2035. But it will stick to the plan to build 11 more reactors by 2024 to meet growing demand for electricity.
The consecutive shutdown of two nuclear reactors in about a week is fueling worries that the country may face a power shortage this winter.
The No. 3 Hanvit reactor went off line early Tuesday following the stoppage of the Gori No. 1 reactor six days earlier, according to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP).
As the two reactors unexpectedly shutdown due to faulty turbines, experts say other similar incidents may occur in the coming months,.
"What is most feared now is a possible large-scale incident that could result in major power supply disruptions to the whole country during winter," Jeon Jae-wan, chief of the Energy and Environment Industry Team at the Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (KIET), told The Korea Times by telephone.
Jeon said KHNP and the government need to immediately conduct a thorough check up on reactors in operation to avoid any similar stoppages in the coming high-demand season.
Currently, seven out of 23 reactors are offline for regular maintenance, cable replacement following a corruption scandal or turbine-related problems. The 23 reactors with a combined capacity of 20,716 megawatts satisfy about 30 percent of the country's overall electricity demand, according to the KHNP.
"We are targeting to put as many as five reactors back on track by the end of December, which is a tough job though," a spokesman said by telephone. KHNP is the state-run operator of nuclear power plants, which generate electricity at cheaper costs compared to that produced by more expensive fossil fuel sources such as coal, oil and gas.
"So a delayed resumption of firing up the reactors will cost taxpayers more money," said the KIET researcher.
Korea has experienced chronic power shortage problems during the high-demand seasons in which heat or cold drives up electricity use.
Particularly in recent years, an increasing number of individual and corporate consumers have turned to cheaper electricity away from more expensive alternative energy sources such as kerosene and liquefied natural gas, the state-owned Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) said.
With a cold wave expected to come earlier than usual this winter, power needs for heating began to rise two week ago, a KEPCO spokesman said.
"We are keeping a watchful eye on the supply and demand of electricity to avoid any rolling, or controlled, blackouts to maintain power supply during winter," he said.
KEPCO expects the country's overall power needs to reach a record 80 million to 81 million kilowatts per day sometime in mid January.
In September 2011, a spike in demand forced Asia's fourth-largest economy to use a controlled blackout for the first time to regulate consumption. The government asked public organizations across the country to take urgent measures to cut electricity consumption and businesses to join power saving efforts.
In its long-term plan, the government will cut its reliance on nuclear energy to between 22 and 29 percent by 2035. But it will stick to the plan to build 11 more reactors by 2024 to meet growing demand for electricity.
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