The country's nuclear safety agency has cleared a nuclear reactor to resume operations after it closed more than five years ago due to safety concerns.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said on Friday that the Hanbit Unit Four, located in Yeonggwang, South Jeolla Province, met the criteria to restart operations following repairs and safety inspections.

After opening for commercial power generation in 1996, the one-thousand-megawatt pressurized water reactor was forced to shut down in May 2017 after inspectors found more than 140 cracks in the facility’s containment liner plate.

There are currently 25 reactors in operation in South Korea, which generate roughly 30 percent of the country’s electricity.