South Korea's Nuclear Safety and Security Commission has decided to carry out a rigorous inspection of all the country's 23 reactors after a scandal involving unvetted components fuelled public fears about nuclear safety. Two 1,000 MW reactors at the Yeongwang nuclear complex, fitted with thousands of parts provided with forged quality and safety warranties, will be shut down until the parts are replaced in early January. Three additional reactors under investigation are still running. With another five reactors already closed for regular maintenance and glitches, a total of 6,500 MW of power capacity has been removed from the grid, from a total capacity of about 80 GW. Several reactors have been shut down for varying periods for malfunctioning, and officials at state-owned Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) have been investigated for receiving bribes.
Officials said 8 suppliers faked 60 warranties covering nearly 7,700 items that had been provided at a cost of KRW820m (US$750,000).
South Korea will attempt to cut power consumption over the winter rather than increasing imports of alternative fuel to maintain power generation.
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