ESTABLISHMENT OF A MAINTENANCE PROGRAM TO PREVENT LOSS OF OFFSITE POWER IN NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

Since the Fukushima accident in 2011, the importance of the electrical systems in nuclear power plants (NPPs) has been emphasized. The result has been that NPP regulators are enhancing their monitoring of loss of offsite power (LOOP) events. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) is reviewing the status and issues related to LOOPs, and is attempting to establish specific countermeasures to prevent LOOPs, because they can have severe consequences in the complicated maintenance schedule during an outage. A starting point for preventing LOOPs is the control of the loss of voltage (LOV)-initiating components. In order to reflect this in the risk assessment program, an LOV monitor is being developed for use during plant outages.