(S.Korea) Prosecution raids nuclear power operator over corruption probe

[kristopher]

Prosecution raids nuclear power operator over corruption probe
BUSAN, June 20

(Yonhap) -- State prosecutors on Thursday raided the headquarters and offices of the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP), the state-run operator of nuclear power plants, as part of their probe into a corruption scandal over fake test results which led to the shutdown of reactors.

The government has suspended the operation of six nuclear reactors, including three newly built reactors, after they were found to have been supplied with substandard control cables under falsified warranties by the local supplier, JS Cable.

A task force of the prosecution office in the southeastern port city of Busan seized documents and computer discs during the raid at the headquarters in southern Seoul and eight other offices across the country, prosecutors said.

The task force also raided the residences of up to six former and incumbent officials of the KHNP, they added.

"The raid was launched in an aim to secure relevant document...

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2013/06/20/18/0302000000AEN20130620008600315F.HTML

The intermittent nature of nuclear power. I'll bet this leaves a huge gaping hole in their power grid - a hole that is a lot more problematic than the predictable variability of wind and solar in a distributed grid.

[kristopher]

1. Background from NYT in May

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/world/asia/south-korea-turns-off-nuclear-reactors.html?_r=0

The problem is spreading.

See also: South Korea to Start Mandatory Power Savings as Shortages Loom
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-17/south-korea-to-start-mandatory-power-savings-as-shortages-loom.html

[bananas]

2. You just can't trust the nuclear industry.

Can't repeat that enough.

[kristopher]

3. Can you envision a world where nuclear is as powerful as oil and coal combined?

The technical complexity alone ensures a lack of transparency and limits public oversight; then, add to that the security implications inherent in the fuel chain to the economic and political power of an entity that controls the switch on the world's energy supply.

What could possibly go wrong?