Report on Verification Results of Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission has determined that the root cause of the hundreds of voids found in the Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4 was poor construction due to the construction company's lack of experience and a flawed management culture.
On the 7th, the NSSC held its 160th meeting and received reports on the "Investigation Results of the Root Cause of Void Occurrence in the Containment Buildings of Hanbit Units 3 and 4" and the "Verification Results of Structural Integrity Assessment of Hanbit Unit 4 Containment Building and Future Plans."
The NSSC stated, "Hanbit Units 3 and 4 were the first nuclear power plants constructed primarily by a domestic company (KEPCO Engineering & Construction), and there was a lack of design experience. We believe that this lack of experience, combined with a management culture prioritizing schedule shortening, influenced the occurrence of voids."
Earlier, during a special inspection of nuclear power plant structures, the NSSC discovered numerous voids in the concrete of the containment buildings of Hanbit Units 3 and 4 between 2017 and 2018. The investigation revealed that the project operator frequently conducted concrete pouring work at night during construction. It was also confirmed that there was a lack of design experience, as evidenced by errors such as failing to remove temporary reinforcements.
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