South Korea approves restart of nuclear reactor; six still offline

Seoul: South Korea's nuclear regulator approved on Thursday, the restart of a reactor after a week-long shutdown due to a technical glitch, though six out of the country's 23 reactors remain shut ahead of peak winter demand season.

"The shutdown of the Kori No. 1 reactor last Thursday was due to damage of a transformer cable connection", the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said in a statement.

The regulator said that the reactor's operator, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co Ltd (KRHYDR.UL) had replaced the cables at the 587-megawatt reactor, southeast of Seoul, and operations were due to resume on Thursday.

Asia's fourth-largest economy is striving to ensure stable power supply ahead of peak demand in January in the wake of cuts in nuclear power supply following a nuclear safety scandal.

Nuclear power accounts for about a third of South Korea's electrical supply. Three reactors have been shut since late May due to control cables supplied with fake safety certificates.

A fourth reactor is awaiting an extension of its licence after its 30-year life span expired in November of last year; a fifth is under extended maintenance through mid-January; and a sixth was shut on Wednesday for technical glitch. KHNP will shut a seventh for scheduled maintenance on December 12.