South Korea’s Nuclear Safety & Security Commission (NSSC) has approved a construction permit for units 3&4 of the Shin Hanul NPP in Uljin County, North Gyeongsang Province. The previous approval for new NPP construction was in June 2016 for Saeul 3&4 (formerly Shin-Kori 5&6).
Shin Hanul 3 and 4 are 1,400 MWe Advanced Power Reactor (APR1400) units similar to the currently operating Saeul 1&2 and Shin-Hanul 1&2. The approval comes eight years and eight months after Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) applied for the construction licence in January 2016. Site preparation for the two units was originally scheduled to begin in May 2017, with commercial operation of unit 3 scheduled for December 2022, and unit 4 a year later.
However, the project was suspended in October 2017 when the former Moon Jae-in administration approved the ‘Energy Transition Roadmap’ which included a nuclear phase out policy. The review process resumed in July 2022 when the current government of President Yoon Suk-yeol reversed this policy.
“Considering that the project had been suspended for approximately five years, the NSSC changed the date of application of technical standards in the permit documents to the latest standard and confirmed safety,” the regulator said. KHNP will now begin “full-scale construction” of the units “with the excavation of the main building foundation”. KHNP said that prior to the start of construction, will hold a safety pledge ceremony with executives and employees of related companies at the construction site.
Choi Il-kyung, head of KHNP’s construction division, said: “Shin Hanul units 3&4, which symbolise restoration of the nuclear power plant ecosystem, have recently received construction permits, so we will build them with a sense of responsibility and with the utmost safety.”
In March 2023, KHNP and Doosan Enerbility signed a 10-year KRW2,900bn ($2.2bn) contract for the supply of the main equipment for Shin Hanul 3&4 and 4. Doosan Enerbility will supply the nuclear reactors, steam generators and turbine generators for the two units.
NSSC said that it confirmed the safety of the new reactors based on reviews of previous reactors and by examining design differences, particularly the latest technical standards applied to the new units. The Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety also inspected the construction site and found no geological risks that would impact safety, according to the commission. NSSC said that it will thoroughly verify the safety of the nuclear power plants through pre-use inspections and performance tests of the reactor facilities.
Shin Hanul 3&4 will become the ninth and 10th reactors in Uljin County, bringing the total in Korea to 30. The government is also preparing measures to extend the lifespans of 10 reactors (at the Kori, Hanbit, Hanul, Wolsong sites) scheduled for decommissioning in 2029, according to the original 40-year permit. In June of last year, the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy announced its 11th working blueprint for electric power supply to approve the construction of three new reactors and one small modular reactor (SMR).
