South Korea green lights operation of ‘new’ power plant

The government made the decision a year after the plant’s completion.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission has given its approval for the 1.4-gigawatt Shin-Hanul 1 nuclear reactor to start its operations, a year after the plant’s completion.

The reactor was completed in April but had its operations held off because of a long drawn out safety review that started in November last year.

South Korea has been strict with safety compliance for atomic reactors as the country aims to boost its reliance on renewable energy sources.

South Korea is expected to have 28 nuclear reactors by 2022, dropping to 14 by 2038 as ageing reactors are shut down.