Completion of the units is expected to ease an electricity shortage looming large this winter
Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP CEO Kim Kyun-seop) held a ceremony to complete the Shin Kori Nuclear Power Units 1&2 in Jangan-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan, on Dec. 4. Among the 400 people on hand at the event were Minister of Knowledge Economy Hong Suk-woo, the heads of regional organizations, and neighborhood residents.
Shin Kori Units 1&2 have their safety reinforced with such systems as safety injecting piping of the emergency water cooling system and an emergency 480-volt mobile power generation vehicle. They have an improved version of the OPR1000, Korea¡¯s standard nuclear power plant developed with its own technology, which was dedicated almost six years after the start of commercial operations of Ulchin Nuclear Units 5&6. The improved model nuclear reactor is considered to be safer and more economical than the original OPR1000. KHNP officials said that the two units are capable of generating about 16 billion kWh of electricity annually, which accounts for some 77 percent of Busan Metropolitan City¡¯s electricity consumption and 56 percent of Ulsan Metropolitan City¡¯s power consumption. They estimated that the two units have a combined effect of substituting about 600 billion won worth of petroleum annually, contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and easing an electricity shortage facing the nation this winter.
Shin Kori Nuclear Power Unit 2 was put into commercial service this past July 20, capping the project to build Shin Kori Nuclear Power Units 1&2 almost seven and a half years after crews initiated ground leveling for the first nuclear facility on Jan. 17, 2005.
Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) installed a nuclear reactor in the Shin Kori Nuclear Power Unit 1 in March 2008. The nuclear power unit was dedicated this year on Feb. 28. Construction of the second nuclear facility proceeded after an interval of one year and Unit 2 finally went on line on July 20 of this year.
The commercial operation of the nuclear facility came belatedly as it was delayed for the implementation of additional safety measures in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster that took place on March 11, 2011, three months prior to fuel-loading of the second nuclear facility.
Here is an overview of the Shin Kori Nuclear Power Units 1&2: Approximately 3 million components and parts were used for the construction of the units; about 90,000 truckloads of concrete were used; electric cables of a combined length of 3,150 km, 10 times longer than the distance between Seoul and Busan, were laid; pipelines for the power plants stretch a total of 210 km; the reactors weigh 346 tons; and the steam generators weigh 537 tons.
Shin Kori Unit 1 came on line in time to help the nation overcome a shortage of electricity last winter. Shin Kori Unit 2 also played a role in staving off a crisis stemming from another power shortage this summer.
For Shin Bong-ki, deputy general manager in charge of process management at KHNP, who has worked at the Shin Kori Unit 1 site, the completion of the project came as a moment of excitement and reflection on the past. Kim said, ¡°I recall that I had toured the village of Dorongnong, Gori, and other areas in Ulju County and held sessions to explain the project to the relevant residents on numerous occasions. It was an unexpected thing that the Japanese nuclear accident forced the delay of the dedication, but I¡¯m very glad to see Unit 1 and Unit 2 rolling without a hitch.¡±
Jo Jun-ho, a manager in the civil engineering department at KHNP, said he felt a sense of pride and honor to personally see every step in the process of building Units 1&2 from beginning to completion.