Agency team praises operator’s commitment to safety The IAEA team concluded an 18-day mission to the Saeul nucleqr station, previously called Shin Kori, on 17 November. Courtesy KHNP. The operator of Units 1 and 2 of the Saeul nuclear power station in South Korea has demonstrated commitment to operational safety, but areas for improvement include the development and oversight of field operating staff’s performance, for example, by more effective coaching.

The IAEA said the station should improve the work practices and risk prevention during the conduct of maintenance activities at the plant.

It said operators should improve the implementation of its operating experience feedback programme.

The team identified good practices, including the use of portable backpacks to monitor environmental radiation in the event of a radiological emergency, adopting a mobile water purification system to provide filtered seawater for accident management and developing a smart personal radiation dose management system to improve radiation worker knowledge and effectiveness of dose management.

The IAEA’s operational safety review team (Osart) concluded an 18-day mission to Saeul, previously called Shin Kori, on 17 November.

The mission, which focused on two of the plant’s four units, was carried out at the request of the South Korean government.

Osart missions aim to improve operational safety by assessing safety performance against IAEA safety standards.

The Saeul station, owned by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co Ltd, (KHNP), is close to the city of Ulsan in country’s southeast.

Saeul-1, a 1,416 MW pressurised water reactor unit, began commercial operation in 2016 and the identical Unit 2 in 2019. Both units are South Korean APR-1400 plants.

They are among 25 operating nuclear power reactors in South Korea. Nuclear power currently contributes about 28 per cent to the country’s electricity. It is also constructing three additional reactors – Saeul-3, Saeul-4 and Shin-Hanul-2.