[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission announced on the 16th that it has approved the restart (criticality) of Hanul Nuclear Power Plant Unit 6, which is undergoing a regular inspection.
The NSSC determined that reactor operation is possible after conducting 83 inspections at Hanul Unit 6 since July 29.
During the regular inspection of Hanul Unit 6, the NSSC cut and inspected the lower steel plate (CLP) of the large pipe penetration in the containment building and discovered and repaired one void (hole). In addition, one area with a thickness below the standard thickness (5.4 mm) was found during the CLP thickness inspection and was also repaired.
The results of the non-destructive testing of the steam generator tubes met the relevant standards, and 199 foreign substances detected by foreign matter inspection equipment were removed.
The eddy current testing, which detects foreign substances using eddy currents, found two residual foreign substances that were difficult to remove; however, after evaluating the integrity, it was confirmed that there was no abnormality.
Regarding the reactor shutdown on July 19, the NSSC judged that appropriate measures such as cause analysis, recurrence prevention measures, and performance tests of the power plant control system were taken.
Out of 36 Fukushima follow-up measures, 31 have been completed and 5 are in progress.
Regarding the reflection of accident and failure cases over the past three years, 15 out of 17 cases have been completed, and 2 are ongoing.
The NSSC plans to complete the regular inspection of Hanul Unit 6 after conducting 10 tests, including a power increase test.
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