A delay in restarting the reactors for one year would have cut the company's forecast FFO/debt by five to six percentage points during the period. KEPCO will also benefit from the restarts, especially during the winter. Nuclear power reduces KEPCO's overall reliance on more expensive gas- and oil-fired power plants, which will help KEPCO keep its consolidated FFO/debt at 28%-32% over the next 12-18 months, despite a likely increase in fuel costs in 2017. The ratio would have decreased by one to two percentage points had restarting the reactors been further delayed by one year. The Korean government addressed the public's heightened safety concerns following the earthquake by strengthening its facility inspection and safety requirements, rather than by trimming its support for nuclear energy. The stricter safety requirements will ensure that all of KHNP's nuclear facilities can withstand earthquakes of up to a 7.0 magnitude, compared with 6.5 currently, by 2018.