Commercial operation at Shin-Kori 2
South Korea's newest nuclear power reactor has entered commercial operation. The country now has 23 nuclear units that together supply about one third of its electricity.
South Korea's newest nuclear power reactor has entered commercial operation. The country now has 23 nuclear units that together supply about one third of its electricity.
The milestone of commercial operation means that all commissioning procedures and tests have been successfully completed and owner Korea Electric Power Company can commence the normal routines of operation and maintenance. Construction work started in January 2007, and in January this year it was synchronised to the grid to produce its first power.
Shin-Kori 2 is the tenth OPR-1000 model pressurized water reactor in South Korea. The indigenous design was developed from Westinghouse units imported through the 1970s and 1980s. Under a licensee relationship, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power was able to develop variants of Westinghouse's System 80 for its own requirements: first the Korean Standard Nuclear Plant (KNSP), then the OPR-1000 design and finally the APR-1400.
One other OPR-1000 is under construction at Shin-Wolsong, while two APR-1400 units are currently being built at Shin-Kori. A further six APR-1400s are planned to begin operation in the next nine years as part of a program to establish nuclear power at 59% of supply by 2030.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News
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