Although unexpected radioactive materials such as tritium and gamma nuclides were detected inside the Wolseong nuclear power plant, voices of criticism have been raised when the power of the people and the responsible organizations such as Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power reduced the situation, saying it was a ghost story. In addition, the Democratic Party lawmakers strongly confessed whether they are taking responsibility for the safety of the people.
In addition to Kang Deok-gu, Gomyeon-jeong, Minyoung-bae, Yang Lee, Won-young, and Woowon-sik, members of the Democratic Party’s Environment Special Committee, Carbon Neutral Special Committee, Science and Technology Information Broadcasting and Communication Committee, and the Small and Medium Venture Business Committee of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, 34, detected radioactive substances at the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant at a press conference on the afternoon of the 13th. They pointed out the problems of the incident and subsequent coping actions. These lawmakers said, “An unexpected radioactive material leak has occurred at the Wolseong nuclear power plant.” “Unlike the’planned release’, this’unplanned release’ is not released through a predetermined route, so there is a risk of external leakage. This is high, and it is a serious problem that is not allowed in the operating technical guidelines.”
They pointed out that even though it was known that tritium was detected at 713,000 becquerels per liter, the shielding membrane to block radioactive material leakage was damaged, and the possibility of cracking the spent nuclear fuel tank was known, KHNP, the operator, has not yet identified the cause. They evaluated it as an incident that caused a serious problem in the safety management of nuclear power plants where even negligence could not be allowed.
They said that the situation was more serious as a result of receiving a report from KHNP, and they recognized the damaged shielding membrane in the process of installing the containment filtration and exhaust system (CFVS) in 2012 only in August 2018, and a year later in 2019. He said that it was notified to the residents only in May. They said, “It was an incident that clearly revealed KHNP’s inability to confirm that the problem occurred and the inability of the regulatory agency.”
In addition, they reported that the observation boat (WS-2) installed behind Wolseong Unit 2 detected tritium of up to 28,200 becquerels per liter, which is 10 to 100 times higher than other observation information, but the cause of this was also unknown.
They cited the gamma-nuclide radioactive material found in the spent nuclear fuel collection well of Wolseong Unit 4 as the most serious problem. Unlike tritium, radioactive materials of gamma nuclides cannot penetrate concrete, but it is pointed out that the reason why they were found in the sump was because it was suspected that the spent fuel tank was damaged. The spent nuclear fuel tank of Unit 4 was constantly being repaired in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2019, so they were concerned that “it is unknown when and how long the leak has occurred.”
They pointed out that the entire site of the nuclear power plant was contaminated with tritium, and the KHNP repeatedly said, “There is no external leakage,” without knowing where and how much radioactive material was leaked, and that it did not even conduct a test to determine where the leaked radioactive material flowed. .
Regarding the fundamental problem of this leak, they heard the problems of repair and inspection of the Wolseong nuclear power plant. All other nuclear power plants except Wolseong nuclear power plants were waterproofed with a 6mm thick stainless steel plate, but the waterproofing of the spent nuclear fuel tanks at Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant (Units 1 to 4) was covered with a 1mm thick epoxy liner. . As a result of the epoxy liner inspection over the past three years, it was reported that a total of 502 deterioration damage occurred.
It was also revealed that Wolseong Unit 1 was designed to be weak in relation to the order wall, a barrier that prevents the diffusion of contaminated water from the spent fuel tank to the outside. They explained that Wolsong Units 2, 3, and 4 are made of concrete, whereas Wolseong Unit 1 is made of clay (soil), and that KHNP has never confirmed the integrity of the order walls of Wolseong Unit 1, and that it is difficult to confirm.
Regarding this incident, they said, “It is an incident that reveals the overall problem of an old nuclear power plant that has been in operation for 20 to 30 years.” They said, “Tritium is already being detected in the bodies of residents in neighboring areas,” and they diagnosed that “tritium is an artificial radioactive material produced during nuclear fission.” They stipulated, “In that respect, the decision to close Wolseong Unit 1 was a confirmed case to protect the safety of the people.”
They said that the Democratic Party members who participated in the press conference are seriously looking at the issue, and they will visit the Wolseong Nuclear Power Headquarters on the morning of the 18th to conduct a field investigation and request a thorough investigation and transparent information disclosure. Even after witnessing such a serious situation, they urged the opposition party, who dismissed it as a ghost story and dismissed the nuclear power plant investigation because it was intended to condemn the nuclear power plant investigation, and urged “respect the attitude of the public party responsible for public safety.”
The following is the full text of a press conference jointly announced by 34 members of the Democratic Party on the afternoon of the 12th.
[월성원전 비계획적 방사성물질 누출 관련 기자회견]
Nuclear power plant safety is not a political issue, but a public safety issue.
An unexpected radioactive material leak has occurred at Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant.
Unlike’planned release’, such’unplanned release’ is not released through a predetermined route, so the risk of external leakage is high, and it is a serious problem that is not allowed in the operational technical guidelines.
In December of last year, up to 713,000 Bq (Becquerel) of tritium per liter, which is 18 times the standard value, was detected in December of last year, and it was known through the media that the shielding membrane, which had to prevent the leakage of radioactive materials, was damaged and left for 8 years. A recent report raised the possibility of a crack in the spent nuclear fuel tank that stores high-level nuclear waste, but KHNP, a business operator, has not yet identified the cause. This is an incident that caused a serious problem in nuclear power plant safety management, where even negligence could not be allowed.
As a result of receiving the report from KHNP, the situation was more serious.
In the process of installing the containment filtration and exhaust system (CFVS) in 2012, the damaged shielding membrane was recognized only in August 2018, six years later, and notified to the residents only in May 2019, one year later. KHNP’s inability to confirm that the problem has occurred and the inability of the regulatory agency are clearly revealed.
The observation boat (WS-2) installed behind Wolseong Unit 2 detected up to 28,200 Bq (Becquerel) of tritium per liter, which is 10 to 100 times higher than other observation information, but the cause is still unknown.
The most serious is the gamma nuclide radioactive material found in the spent nuclear fuel collection well of Wolseong Unit 4. Unlike tritium, gamma-nuclide radioactive materials cannot penetrate concrete, so damage to the spent fuel tank is suspected. Furthermore, it was found that the spent nuclear fuel tank of Unit 4 was continuously undergoing repair work in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2019, so it is not known when and how long the leakage occurred.
KHNP only repeats the statement that there is no external leakage even though the entire site of the nuclear power plant is contaminated with tritium, and where and how much radioactive material is leaked, it has not even conducted a test to confirm where the leaked radioactive material has flowed.
Fundamental problems have also been identified that are bound to cause this leak.
The spent fuel tanks of all nuclear power plants except Wolseong nuclear power plants were waterproofed using 6mm thick stainless steel plates, but the waterproofing of the spent nuclear fuel tanks of Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant (Units 1-4) was only coated with a 1mm thick epoxy liner. is. In fact, according to the results of the epoxy liner inspection for the last 3 years, it has a fundamentally weak structure, including a total of 502 deterioration damage.
In addition, it was confirmed that the order wall, which is the last barrier that prevents the diffusion of contaminated water from the spent nuclear fuel tank, is made of concrete in the case of Wolseong units 2, 3, and 4, but is made of clay or soil in the case of Wolseong unit 1. . KHNP has never checked the integrity of the wall of Wolseong Unit 1, and it is difficult to confirm.
However, KHNP’s countermeasures are only tinkering, and there is no view of the Nuclear Safety Committee responsible for nuclear power plant safety.
This incident is an incident that reveals the overall problem of an old nuclear power plant that has been in operation for 20 to 30 years. Nuclear power plants that have reached the end of their life cannot become new no matter how much they are repaired. Tritium is already being detected in the bodies of residents in neighboring areas. Tritium is an artificial radioactive material produced during nuclear fission. In this regard, it was confirmed that the decision to close Wolseong Unit 1 was a natural measure to protect the safety of the public.
The Democratic Party lawmakers who participated in today’s press conference are taking this issue seriously, and they will visit the Wolseong Nuclear Power Headquarters on the morning of the 18th to conduct a field investigation and request a thorough investigation and transparent information disclosure. In addition, we will focus our capabilities at the party level to meet the residents near the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant to listen to their opinions and to prepare measures for the residents to feel safe. We will also review the composition of the’public-private joint investigation committee’ requested by residents.
Safety is the top priority in nuclear power plant policy. Public safety cannot be exchanged for anything. Nevertheless, even after witnessing such a serious situation, the opposition party dismisses it as a ghost story and disprompts it for its intention to condemn the nuclear investigation. Please look back on whether the public party is in charge of public safety. Nuclear power plant safety is public safety. I call for the awakening of the opposition.
2021.1.13. Participating member of the Democratic Party Environment Special Committee, Carbon Neutral Special Committee, Science and Technology Information Broadcasting and Communication Committee, and Small and Medium Venture Business Committee of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy
Kang Deuk-gu, Kohn Jung-jeong, Kim Gyeong-man, Kim Seong-hwan, Kim Young-bae, Kim Won-i, Kim Jeong-ho, Moon Jin-seok, Min Hyung-bae, Shin Young-dae, Shin Jung-hoon, Ahn Ho-young, Yang Gyeong-sook, Yang Lee Won-young, Woo Won-shik, Sang-gon Moon, Yoon Yeong-chan, Yoon Jun-byeong, Lee Gyu-min, Lee Dong-ju, Lee Sung-man, Lee So-young, Yong-bin Lee, Lee Won-taek, Jang-seop Lee, Hae-sik Lee, Tae-ho Jeong, Pil-mo Jeong, Seung-rae Cho, Jun-ho Cheon, Jun-ho Han, Young Heo, Jeong-min Hong, Unha Hwang (34 people, in alphabetical order)
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