South Korea authorizes the construction of two new 2.8 GW nuclear reactors

The Nuclear Safety Commission (NSSC) has granted Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP ) a construction permit for two new 1.4 GW pressurized water nuclear reactors in Uljin , on the east coast of South Korea. Shin-Hanul 3 and 4 reactors are the first nuclear reactors to have been granted a construction permit since 2016, when authorities gave the green light to the Saeul 3 and 4 reactors in Ulsan.

Proposals for the Shin-Hanul 3 and 4 reactors were submitted in 2016, but the project was suspended in 2017 due to the administration's energy policy change. The review process resumed in July 2022 and the current construction approval is expected to pave the way for the restoration of the nuclear energy ecosystem and help the nuclear industry regain momentum. Two 1.4 GW reactors were put into operation at Shin Hanul in December 2022 and April 2024.

Schematic representation of an APR-1400 reactor

The reactors being built are the third generation APR 1400 reactors. The first APR-1400 commercial reactors were installed in the Shin Kori power plant, whose construction began in 2008 and ended in 2017. The same type of reactors, obviously in a more updated version, was installed in Barakah. It is a high-power, advanced compressed water reactor, showing that South Korea is an extremely advanced country in terms of nuclear technology.

As of the end of 2023, South Korea had a total installed capacity of 147 GW, of which 25 GW was nuclear (17%). The increase in generation capacity will provide a more stable grid and will be the basis for further South Korean industrial development.

The article South Korea authorizes construction of two new 2.8 GW nuclear reactors comes from Economic Scenarios .

This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/la-corea-del-sud-autorizza-la-costruzione-di-due-nuovi-reattori-nucleari-per-28-gw/ on Fri, 13 Sep 2024 15:59:29 +0000.