The Ministry of Knowledge Economy convened an emergency meeting Thursday to check the safety of two nuclear reactors shut down recently and also to check the possibility of power shortages caused by the reactors.
The ministry said there was no risk of the suspension of the nuclear reactors triggering a nationwide blackout, but that the start of the winter peak season could pose unanticipated dangers.
The meeting also involved officials from the state-run Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO), the country's sole power supplier, and the country's power distributor, the Korea Power Exchange.
A nuclear reactor in Uljin, 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, automatically halted its operations Tuesday due to what Minister of Knowledge Economy Hong Suk-woo later called a "simple mistake by an engineer."
The Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., the operator of nuclear power plants in the country, was forced Wednesday to shut down another reactor in nearby Ulsan for problems detected in a generator attached to the reactor.
The minister said Thursday's meeting marked the start of a comprehensive review that will help prevent human errors.
"The Uljin reactor incident would not have happened if an expert had supervised the work as required by regulations. We will move toward a system where all mistakes, except the ones that are inevitable, are subject to strict disciplinary actions," he told reporters.
The two reactors jointly produce up to 1.95 million kilowatts of electricity, nearly half of 4 million kilowatts the country needs to maintain what the government calls a "safe level" of reserve supplies.
Officials from KEPCO said the reserve rate remained well above 5 million kilowatts despite the suspension of the two nuclear reactors earlier this week. The reactor at the Uljin plant resumed operation early Thursday following safety inspections, they said.
Thursday's emergency meeting coincided with the start of special measures to prevent major power fluctuations that included a mandatory 10 percent power cut by all major manufacturers and limited use of neon signs during peak hours each day.
Minister Hong noted such measures may place some difficulties on business, but said they may also provide new opportunities for the companies.
"(The measures) will lead to the development of new products that are more energy-efficient, which in turn could lead to the foundation of new companies that manufacture such products," he told reporters.
"It may cause headaches for many business owners for now, but it may also be a chance to improve their competitiveness."
The measures will be enforced until the end of the winter peak season on Feb. 29, with each violation subject to a fine of up to 3 million won ($2,580).(Yonhap)