Officials at the nation’s nuclear power plant Uljin-1 have yet to find out what caused the plant to shut down suddenly on Thursday.

The Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Corp. reported on Thursday evening that the nuclear unit’s reactor and power-generating turbine suddenly ceased operation at around 6:41 p.m. for unknown reasons.

Capable of providing 950,000 kilowatts of electric power, the nuclear unit is currently undergoing an inspection by experts dispatched from the International Atomic Energy Agency and Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, company officials said.

They said that the incident would not affect the safety of the plant itself or cause leakage of radioactive substances.

The outcome of the inquiry into the cause of the breakdown will not come immediately, said an official of the state-run power company.

A similar case was reported on Aug. 19 when Sinwolseong-1 nuclear plant stopped operation due to failure in control bars that adjust the reactor’s input.

By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)