by Satoshi Takano *
12-minute station blackout
The controversy was initiated by a March 13 news
release from the Nuclear Safety Commission, a governmental authority of
the Republic of Korea. It reported that Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power
(KHNP), a publicly run enterprise that operates nuclear power plants in
South Korea, had had a station blackout accident at the Kori Nuclear
Power Plant during a periodical inspection of the Kori 1 reactor. The
enterprise tested the Kori 1 power generator protection relay with all
of the three external power sources mistakenly disconnected due to
staff error, the power supply being completely cut off. The diesel
generator, which was supposed to start up automatically in this
situation, was out of order and did not operate. The blackout continued
for 12 minutes, and the temperature of the cooling water in the reactor
rose from 36.9°C to 58.3°C, a 21°C increase. This accident calls to
mind the meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power reactors
following a station blackout. What makes this Kori 1 accident all the
more serious is that it occurred on February 9, which means, to
everybody’s surprise, that KHNP had covered it up for more than a month.
Kori 1 is the oldest nuclear reactor in South Korea.
It started commercial operation in 1978 and was scheduled to be shut
down in 2007. Its service life was extended for ten years, however, and
operation has continued until today.
Locals and people from other areas of the nation surround the reactor station together
In response to the news release of the accident and
cover-up, the Busan Anti-Nuclear Civic Measures Committee, which
consists mainly of environmental conservation organizations and
citizens’ groups in Busan, held a press conference in front of the main
gate of the Kori Nuclear Power Plant on the day after the release,
denouncing KHNP. On March 20, a press conference was held in front of
the Busan District Prosecutors’ Office. The Committee said, “KHNP has
repeatedly claimed that ‘Nuclear reactors are safe’ every time there is
an accident, and it has actually had many accidents. The enterprise has
never accepted our demand for improvements in transparency and
objectivity concerning the management and regulation of nuclear power
reactors.” The Committee sharply criticized the organizational culture
of the enterprise in covering up a serious accident that could have
jeopardized the lives and security of the South Korean population, and
demanded serious punishment for the people concerned.
Nevertheless, neither the South Korean government
nor KHNP show any sign of relenting on their policy of keeping Kori 1
in service and restarting it after a safety review. On April 28, in
protest against this policy, citizens gathered at the Kori Nuclear
Power Plant site from Seoul and all over South Korea by bus. A total of
more than 600 people, including locals, created a human chain
completely surrounding the plant, and called out for the closure of
Kori 1.
Regulatory authorities and IAEA turn down locals
In May, the regulatory authorities, the Nuclear
Safety Commission and the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety,
individually announced that they would perform safety reviews before
June 20. However, both the review teams were highly exclusive in terms
of personnel and failed to reflect local views.
At the request of KHNP, the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) sent a team of eight experts, which reviewed the
safety of Kori 1 from June 4th to 11th. Concurrently with the IAEA’s
visit and review, the Busan Anti-Nuclear Civic Measures Committee
organized various events, such as an anti-nuclear film festival and
anti-nuclear culture festival between June 1 and 9, designating this
period it as an “anti-nuclear week.” The culture festival criticized
the IAEA for representing only parties that are promoting nuclear power
and paying no attention to the opinions of local people.
“The plant is in good condition.” The conclusion of
the IAEA’s investigation was, as expected, in favor of the government
and KHNP. In response to this conclusion, locals in the vicinity of the
Kori Nuclear Power Plant expressed their dissatisfaction, pointing out
that the review was neither thorough nor persuasive. “Four of the eight
IAEA reviewers work for the nuclear industry, and only two are plant
maintenance specialists. The period spent on the review was too short
and the results are not reliable.”
Nuclear power advocates have no reactor decommissioning policy
While nuclear power advocates and those against
nuclear power have few opportunities to exchange opinions, both sides
were represented at a symposium organized by the Parliamentary Members’
Study Group for a Nuclear-free Future for Children in Seoul on June 22.
Mr. Lee Heonseok, who is special assistant to the
Unified Progressive Party diet member Kim Jenam, said: “If the Kori
Nuclear Power Plant is closed, issues concerning reactor
decommissioning, such as the procedures, methods, economic cost, and
radioactive waste disposal sites would need to be discussed.” This
argument precisely identifies the disadvantageous truth for the KHNP,
which unquestionably wants to avoid such discussion.
Specifically, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy
(MKE) estimated the cost for decommissioning Kori 1 to be 325.1 billion
won (290 million USD) in 2003. However, even the IAEA estimates the
cost to be 1 trillion won (roughly 890 million USD), more than three
times the MKE estimate. These estimates do not include the cost of
radioactive waste disposal and compensation for local residents. The
reason why the South Korean government and KHNP are so insistent on
restarting the reactor may possibly be because they fear that their
political failure will become apparent; they have totally failed to
establish the legal and systematic procedures for decommissioning and
have not correctly calculated the economic cost.
Responding to Mr. Lee’s argument, a KHNP
representative boldly revealed its surprisingly slack risk management
culture at the symposium: “We have never had an accident but have only
experienced machine failures.” “Kori 1 has had components replaced many
times and can actually be compared to a new reactor.” “No one has died
of radioactivity as a result of the Fukushima nuclear accident.”
The Nuclear Safety Commission eventually approved
the restart of Kori 1 on July 4. This means that MKE can restart it at
anytime. The MKE has not yet restarted it, however, stating that it is
necessary to gain the understanding of local people (as of July 11).
According to a poll, 72.4% of the Busan population is frightened about
the restart, and 66.9% is in favor of the closure of Kori 1.
The ultimate question is whether MKE will be able to
resolve the disbelief and anxiety about Kori 1 that now weigh heavily
upon the shoulders of the local people.
* Energy Justice Actions (South Korea)
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