The Shin-Hanul nuclear power station site in South Korea. Courtesy KHNP. South Korea's nuclear regulator has given its conditional approval for the start-up of Unit 1 at Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power’s Shin-Hanul nuclear power station in the east of the country.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Committee (NSSC) has called for additional safety measures at the unit, the first of two APR-1400 reactors at the site.

First concrete for Unit 1 was poured in 2012 and for Unit 2 in 2013. The two pressurised water reactors were originally expected to begin commercial operation in April 2017 and April 2018, but there have been delays with safety checks and modifications.

The NSSC’s review included the plants’ passive autocatalytic recombiner (PAR) system, which is designed to prevent hydrogen explosions in the event of a serious accident by reducing hydrogen concentration levels in the reactor’s containment building. PAR systems were specified following the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi plant in Japan.

The NSSC has also asked for more measures against potential terrorist attacks or aircraft crashes.