Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (KHNP) has completed loading nuclear fuel assemblies into the Shin-Hanul Unit 1 reactor in South Korea. KHNP obtained permission to load fuel from South Korea’s Nuclear Safety & Security Commission (NSSC) on July 9, 2021. After loading of 241 fuel assemblies into the reactor, KHNP is conducting reactor physics and systems testing under normal operating temperature and pressure conditions. KHNP expects commercial operation for Shin-Hanul Unit 1 in 2022.
The Shin-Hanul Unit1 reactor, which has a capacity of 1,400MWe, is the 27th nuclear power plant in South Korea and the fifth APR1400 reactor approved for commercial operation in the world, followed by Shin-Kori Unit 3 and 4, and Unit 1 and 2 at the Barakah nuclear power plant (NPP) in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.). Currently, five other APR1400 reactors are under construction, including Shin-Hanul Unit 2, Shin-Kori Units 5 and 6, and Barakah Units 3 and 4. Once they are completed, there will be 10 APR1400 reactors operating in the world with 14GWe capacity.
The UAE nuclear power plant project, developed by the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) deserves special attention, as it provides an example of the successful implementation of the Korean reactor technology in an overseas country. Unit 1 successfully achieved commercial operation on April 6, 2021. In late August, Unit 2 was successfully started up in advance of its connection to the UAE power grid. Meanwhile, Unit 3 is nearly 95% complete and Unit 4 is approximately 90% complete. When all four units are in commercial operation, the Barakah NPP will help to drive sustainable economic growth across the UAE, producing 5.6 GWe of electricity, or roughly 25% of the U.A.E.’s electricity needs, with zero carbon emissions.
“Construction at Barakah began in 2012 and has progressed steadily ever since. It is a great example of delivery of an innovative modern generation III+ reactor that truly has demonstrated operational performance and offers the most advanced safety features,” explained Mr. Yoh Shik Nam, Executive Vice President, Global Business Division from KHNP. “KHNP is very grateful for its relationship with the U.A.E. and all the local partners in making Barakah a success,” he added.
The APR design is the most technologically advanced nuclear reactor design operating in the world today – meeting the highest international standards for safety and performance. In November 2017, the European Utility Requirements (EUR) certificate was issued to KHNP for its EU-APR design – a modified design of the APR1400 – demonstrating the design met European codes and standards. The APR1400 also received a Standard Design Approval and a Design Certification from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2019 – the first foreign reactor design to achieve such U.S. approval status. The recently approved Shin-Hanul Unit 1 reactor is the first reactor constructed using domestically developed reactor technologies, including reactor coolant pumps and digital control systems.
While KHNP is taking leading roles of delivering the APR1400 project, the robust supply chain, known as Team Korea, which has backed up the successful nuclear new-build project, includes Doosan Heavy Industries (Doosan), Kepco Engineering and Construction (Kepco E&C), Hyundai E&C, Samsung C&T, Korea Nuclear Fuel (KNF) and Kepco Korea Plant Service (KPS).
Kepco E&C has been providing plant engineering and design services, and Hyundai and Samsung provided civil engineering and construction support. Doosan has been responsible for supplying major nuclear equipment such as reactor vessels, pressurizers, steam generators and MMIS (Main Control Room Facility). Doosan is a key player in the APR1400 supply chain and to other markets, including supplying major reactor system components to Vogtle, V.C. Summer, Watts Bar, and Arkansas Nuclear One in the U.S.
KHNP is actively working on exporting nuclear power plants abroad followed by the success of the delivery of the APR1400 reactor technology in the UAE., as well as exporting O&M technologies, equipment and services that the company has established through its nearly 40 years of developing and operating nuclear power plants.
In harmony with the recent agreement between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Joe Biden on nuclear cooperation, KHNP is also looking into ways to partner and support overseas markets by taking advantage of the two countries’ high quality technologies and global reputation for industry leading expertise and capabilities.
KHNP is the largest electric power company which generates approximately 29.8% of the total electric power generated in Korea (Dec. 31, 2020 / The Monthly Report on Major Electric Power Statistics). KHNP is also a global leader in delivering cost effective O&M solutions and on-time and on-budget construction of new nuclear power plants, including its advanced APR1400 reactor design. KHNP is actively working on exporting nuclear reactors abroad and it is currently involved in building four APR1400s at the U.A.E.’s first nuclear power plant site at Barakah. For more information on KHNP, please visit https://www.khnp.co.kr.
Source: digitaljournal.com
