Delayed construction of nuke reactors renews power shortage concerns

Plans for new nuclear reactors have been delayed amid renewed concerns over the safety of nuclear power plants here, plant operators said Wednesday, voicing concerns over a possible delay in plans to bring the country's power supply to what officials call safe levels.

According to the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd., completion of two reactors in Uljin, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, has been pushed back by at least 10 months due to a delay in government approval for their construction. The reactors were originally scheduled to begin operation in 2016 and 2017.

Construction of the four other reactors has also been pushed back by at least one year, partly due to a delay in government authorization, while plans for two others have been scrapped altogether, according to company officials.

The delay in plans comes as the government apparently is taking more time to verify the safety of new reactors following a nuclear accident in Japan's Fukushima that was caused by a powerful earthquake and an ensuing tsunami last year.

The government had also been forced to delay the restart of an aged reactor that was shut down in March for a safety inspection until earlier this month due to public concerns even though the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission approved the restart of the reactor early July.

"We have been forced to reschedule and even call off construction of some reactors due to frequent delays in government approval since the Fukushima accident," an official said.

The problem is a delay in construction of new reactors also means a delay in plans to expand the country's power supply to safe levels.

The combined generation capacity of the eight nuclear reactors, whose construction has either been delayed or canceled, is 12.72 million kilowatts, a significant figure when considering that the government struggles daily to bring the country's power supply reserve to the designated safe levels, or 4 million kilowatts.

South Korea currently has 23 nuclear reactors in operation, supplying about 30 percent of its entire electricity consumption. The country seeks to bring the number of reactors to 39 by 2030. (Yonhap)