More fake certificates for nuclear reactor parts found
By Park Si-soo
Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) is facing fresh problems after a state investigator uncovered new instances of fake certificates being issued for parts used in nuclear power plants.
The KHNP’s sense of crisis reached a new high Wednesday when the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) discovered fabricated documents used to certify hundreds of substandard components to the Kori-3 and -4 reactors in South Gyeongsang Province.
Two domestic suppliers, Kang Jin Heavy Industries and Yusung Industrial, were found to have supplied parts to the reactors using falsified quality certificates, according to the BAI.
The falsely certified components discovered this time included those essential for a reactor’s water cooling system that controls its temperature. A malfunction in the cooling system could in a worst-case scenario similar to the disaster in Fukushima, Japan, last year, according to experts.
The KHNP admitted that the use of falsely certified parts in the system could create a huge safety loophole but said it will keep the reactors operational.
“We will keep Kori-3 and -4 online because it’s possible to replace the uncertified parts in the cooling system with new ones without a stoppage,” a KHNP spokesman told The Korea Times. “Each reactor has two independent cooling systems. It was confirmed that falsely certified parts were used in one system, which means the reactors can keep working using the secondary system.”
The spokesman strongly denied allegations that the company insists on the continued operation of the reactors despite the risk of malfunction due to an increasing fear of power shortages.
The new finding comes only a month after the KHNP shut down operations of the 1 million kilowatt Yeonggwang-5 and -6 reactors in South Jeolla Province after it discovered that a number of suppliers had been funneling "unproven" parts into the country's nuclear reactors by fabricating quality warranties.
The state-run organization then took them offline without hesitation to restore its reputation tainted by a series of malfunctioning reactors, believing that questionable parts were all “non-essential” ones such as fuses, cooling fans and power switches that do not affect the safety of a reactor.
The Ministry of Knowledge Economy, which determines Korea’s energy policy, endorsed the move despite the fact that stopping their operations, though temporarily, was sure to inch the nation closer to “unprecedented” power shortages in the months to come.
The firm’s ambitious drive to restore its tarnished public image has gone in an unintended direction that harms itself. The ill-fated maneuver now only increases chances that the country will suffer severe power shortages this winter.
Korea has 23 nuclear reactors that provide nearly 30 percent of electricity demand. As of Thursday six reactors remained offline ㅡ Uljin-4 and -6 and Yeonggwang-3 for planned repairs, Yeonggwang-5 and -6 to replace falsely certified parts, and Wolseong-1 which waiting for a renewed state license to operate.