S. Korea's new nuclear reactor set to start operation in Dec.

GYEONGJU, South Korea, July 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's new nuclear power reactor under construction in the country's southeastern region is expected to start commercial operation in December ahead of schedule, its builder said Sunday.
Daewoo Engineering & Construction Co. originally planned to dedicate the New Wolsong-1 nuclear reactor located near this historic city, about 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul, starting in March next year.
"The test run of the nuclear reactor is coming to a close," a company official said. "It is expected to be complete by yearend, enabling the reactor to generate electricity from the end of this year."
Daewoo Engineering & Construction said it plans to get an imprimatur from the government to operate the reactor, which will have a capacity of 1 million kilowatts per hour.
It will be South Korea's 22nd nuclear power reactor. South Korea relies on nuclear power reactors for roughly 36 percent of its power output, making it the fifth-largest producer of nuclear energy in the world.
Daewoo Engineering & Construction said it will also complete another nuclear reactor, the New Wolsong-2, by the end of next year, a month ahead of schedule.
Daewoo Engineering & Construction and the country's operator of nuclear reactors, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), said that the New Wolsong-1 reactor has quakeproof and other safety features.
The reactor will be safe even if an earthquake with the magnitude of 6.5 takes place right below it, they said.
Concern over the safety of atomic power generation has been running high in South Korea after March's devastating earthquake and tsunami crippled Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant, resulting in potentially dangerous radiation leakage.
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