A nuclear power plant shut down due to equipment malfunctions is expected to be reactivated in the middle of next month.

Engineers are expected to take up to three weeks in fixing the condensers and rubber pipes in the Hanbit 1 reactor in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province.

Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company said the Hanbit reactor would resume operations once repairs were completed around mid-March.

The reactor may restart work later than expected as it must also receive approval from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission after the repairs.

The reactor's safety system automatically stopped operations on Saturday when the condenser, which changes steam that passes through the facility's turbine into water, recorded a drop in its vacuum pressure.

The glitch comes nine months after the Hanbit 1 reactor resumed operations in May last year, following a periodic inspection.