Construction permits for two more Shin Kori units

South Korea's nuclear regulator has today approved the construction of units 5 and 6 of the Shin Kori nuclear power plant. The APR1400 units are scheduled to begin operating in March 2021 and 2022, respectively.

South Korea's nuclear regulator has today approved the construction of units 5 and 6 of the Shin Kori nuclear power plant. The APR1400 units are scheduled to begin operating in March 2021 and 2022, respectively.

An artistic impression of how Shin Kori 5 and 6 could look (Image: KHNP)

Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) applied in September 2012 for a construction permit for two more APR1400 reactors at the site in south-eastern Korea.

In January 2014, an announcement from the Ministry of Industry confirmed the government's go-ahead for a plan to build the two new Shin Kori units.

The regulator, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, has today voted to approve KHNP's application for a construction permit for the units.

A consortium comprising South Korean construction companies Samsung C&T, Doosan and Hanhwa Construction was awarded a KRW 1.18 trillion ($1 billion) contract in June 2015 to build Shin Kori 5 and 6.

Construction of Shin Kori 5 is scheduled to begin this September, with that of unit 6 set to start one year later. Unit 5 is to enter commercial operation in March 2021 and unit 6 in March 2022.

The Shin Kori site currently hosts two OPR-1000 reactors (units 1 and 2), which began operating in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Two APR1400 have already been built at the site (units 3 and 4). Shin Kori 3 had originally been due to begin operating at the end of 2013, with unit 4 following in September 2014. However, their operation was delayed by the need to test the cabling. Unit 3 achieved first criticality last December and was connected to the grid in January. Unit 4 is expected to start operating in early 2017.

Two more of the 1350 MWe pressurized water reactors are under construction as units 1 and 2 of the Shin Hanul site in South Korea. Those units are expected to enter service in April 2017 and February 2018, respectively. Two further APR-1400 units are planned for the Shin Hanul site.

Four more APR-1400s are under construction at Barakah in the United Arab Emirates. All four are scheduled to be in operation by 2020.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News