Unit 2 of South Korea’s Shin Hanul NPP has started supplying electricity to the grid, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced. KHNP said the 1350 MWe APR1400 pressurised water reactor was connected to the grid on 21 December. "Grid connection means connecting the electricity generated at the nuclear power plant to the transmission line and sending it to general households and industrial sites," it noted.
Unit 2 achieved first criticality in early December after receiving an operating licence from the Nuclear Safety & Security Commission in September. This was followed fuel loading and a series of tests.
Groundbreaking for the first two units at the Shin Hanul (formerly Shin Ulchin) site took place in 2012. First concrete for unit 1 was poured the same year and for unit 2 in 2013. First concrete for unit 1 was poured for unit 1 in 2012 and for unit 2 in 2013. Shin Hanul 1 achieved first criticality in May 2022 and was connected to the grid the following month. It began commercial operation in December 2022. Once in operation, Shin Hanul 2 will be South Korea's 28th nuclear power reactor.
Image: Shin Hanul units 1 and 2 (courtesy of KHNP)
