Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant
The Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant is a large electric power station in Jeollanam-do, South Korea. It has a total capacity of 5,875 MW and is one of the world's largest nuclear plants, ranking as the fifth largest. The site was originally called Yonggwang, but it was renamed Hanbit in 2013 at the request of local fishermen.
All six units at Hanbit use Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR). The design of the units varies:
- Units 1 and 2 are three-loop Westinghouse designs, with major components imported and most auxiliary work done in Korea.
- Units 3 and 4 are two-loop Combustion Engineering System 80 designs, built largely with domestic effort under a technology transfer agreement.
- Units 5 and 6 are based on the Ulchin Unit-3 OPR-1000 Korean standard design.
In 2012, after the Fukushima incident, inspections found forged quality certificates for 7,682 items from eight suppliers. Two of the plant’s reactors were heavily affected and shut down for about eight weeks while parts were replaced and safety checks were completed. The government said it would work to restore confidence and support Korea’s reactor export plans.
A serious incident occurred at Hanbit-1 on May 10, 2019 during a low-power test. Power temporarily rose to 18% due to miscalculation, mishandling of control rods, and a stuck rod, and it was rated as INES level 2.
Today, the Hanbit Nuclear Power Plant remains in operation, continuing to supply electricity in South Korea.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 01:33 (CET).