South Korean Prime Minister Kim Hwang Sik unveiled plan Friday to curtail power demand and secure extra generating capacity in the face of upcoming shortages after the shutdown of two nuclear reactors, dpa reported. This month, two reactors at the Yeonggwang plant on the south-west coast were turned off after they were found to have used "unproven “parts that came with dubious quality documentation. The shutdown creates the risk of power shortages in the harsh winter. Under the plan, the government is to target saving up to 3,200megawatts (MW) of power capacity through a campaign this winter, the prime minister said. The plan is also to secure an additional 1,270 MW of power capacity from private and public power generators, Kim said. Without such efforts, the country's spare power capacity would be less than a third of the normal level. He said that the shortage would disappear in 2014 as the country would add a total of 7,000 MW of power plant capacity by the end of2013. More than 31 per cent of South Korea's electricity needs are met by its 23 nuclear reactors.
