South Korea Fires Up Its 28th Nuclear Reactor.

[NNadir]

Second APR-1400 at Shin Hanul starts up

Subtitle:

Unit 2 of the Shin Hanul nuclear power plant in South Korea has attained a sustained chain reaction for the first time, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced. The unit is the second of two APR-1400 reactors at the site, with a further two planned.

Excerpts:

The 1350 MWe pressurised water reactor reached first criticality at 7.00am on the 6 December, KHNP said.

Shin Hanul 2 received an operating licence from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission on 7 September, after which it completed a preliminary inspection by the regulator. The loading of 241 fuel assemblies into the reactor's core was carried out between 11 and 18 September. High-temperature functional tests were subsequently conducted.

With first criticality now achieved, Shin Hanul 2 will undergo performance tests of the power plant system. The reactor is scheduled to start generating electricity on 20 December, contributing to the winter power peak, KHNP said. After major tests at each output stage, it is scheduled to begin full-scale commercial operation in the first half of 2024...

..."Shin Hanul unit 1, the same reactor design as Shin Hanul unit 2, began commercial operation in December of last year and has been operating without failure for 365 days to-date," KHNP noted.

Once in operation, Shin Hanul 2 will be South Korea's 28th nuclear power reactor and its 4th operational APR1400 - after Saeul units 1 and 2 (formerly Shin Kori 3 and 4) and Shin Hanul unit 1. Two further APR1400s are under construction as Saeul units 3 and 4, with two more units planned as Shin Hanul units 3 and 4...

The APR1400 is a reactor of Korean design, incorporating design features originally developed by Combustion Engineering, later acquired by Westinghouse.

Three other APR1400's now operate in South Korea, including Shin Hanul 1, and three more operate in the United Arab Emirates, with a fourth undergoing commissioning.

This is a victory for people who are serious about climate change, as opposed to those who couldn't care less about the use of fossil fuels, for instance the German Government.

Although Korea has a large nuclear infrastructure, it is heavily dependent on dangerous coal and dangerous gas otherwise. To eliminate coal with reliable clean power, South Korea would be required to roughly triple its nuclear capacity.



Electricity Map, South Korea (12 Month data. Accessed 12/07/23)

The experience of building 8 reactors of endogenous design should open the doors to accomplishing this important task. With more reactors planned Korea obviously now has a nuclear construction infrastructure.