Minister Sung Yun-mo of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and President Chung Jae-hoon of Korea Hydro and Nuclear Co. (KHNP) participate in a ceremony to dedicate Shin Kori Nuclear Power Units 3 & 4, each with the 1,400-megawatt nuclear reactor, the nation’s first homegrown APR 1400, in Ulsan, on Dec. 6. (Photo: MOTIE)

Korea held a ceremony to dedicate Shin Kori Nuclear Power Units 3 & 4, each with the 1,400-megawatt nuclear reactor, in Ulsan, on Dec. 6.

The units represent the nation’s first homegrown APR 1400 reactors.

The dedication ceremony came 12 years after the project broke ground. It was the first time that a ceremony to dedicate a nuclear power facility has taken place under the President Moon Jae-in government, which is phasing out nuclear power inside the country.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and Korea Hydro and Nuclear Co. (KHNP) held the dedication ceremony at the Saeul Nuclear Power Complex in Ulju-gun.

The APR 1400, a pressurized water reactor (PWR), is upgraded from the standardized 995 MW OPR-1000 design, of which Korea built 12.

The latest reactor model generates electricity 40 percent more than the previous model. The design lifespan of the APR1400 is 60 years, 20 years more than that of the conventional one.

The latest homegrown model is outfitted with reinforced safety requirements. It has quake-proof performance, reinforced up to six times, making it capable of sustaining large earthquakes up to 7.0 in strength.

Power outages caused by serious accidents can prompt the operation of a hydrogen removal facility to preempt explosions. Watertight doors have been installed to brace for tsunami.

A master plan for the construction of Shin Kori Nuclear Power Units 3 & 4 was finalized in 2001, and the project broke ground in September 2007.

Contractors such as Hyundai E&C, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, and SK E&C participate in the construction of the units. It cost 7.5 trillion won.

The two units generate 20.8 TWh annually, accounting for 3.7 percent of the nation’s total power generation amounts. They are responsible for supplying about 23 percent of electricity consumption in Busan, Ulsan and the whole of the Gyeongsangnam-do area.

The APR1400 model was a homegrown nuclear reactor, developed at a cost of 230 billion won for 10 years.

Four nuclear power units are being built with the APR 1400 model in the United Arab Emirates in Korea’s first overseas nuclear power technology export deal.

The APR1400 obtained a standard design certification by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC), nearly allowing the use of the technology in the United States.

The U.S. nuclear regulatory authority issued a design certification on the APR1400, Korea’s next-generation nuclear reactor, eight years after the application was submitted.

It is the first time that a foreign company has received a design certification from the US NRC. That means the safety of the APR1400 is certified, so that it can be built and operated in the United States, further raising the possibility of exporting the technology abroad.

In his speech at the event, MOTIE Minister Sung Yun-mo said, “The Shin Kori Nuclear Power Units 3 & 4 are synonymous with the history of developing the APR1400, which began in 1992 with the goal of technology self-sufficiency.”

The dedication of the nuclear units, cited as a reference reactor to exporting nuclear power technology to the UAE, would serve as a good opportunity to have a good reception in the global nuclear power market, he added.

Among those on hand at the event were MOTIE Minister Sung, Chairman Lee Jong-koo of the National Assembly Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs and Startups Committee, Rep. Kim Ki-sun, Rep. Kang Gil-bu, Ullsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho, foreign diplomats and neighborhood residents.

During the ceremony, 54 people were honored with two orders and other government medals and prizes in recognition of their contribution to the dedication of the nuclear power units.

The coveted Order of Industrial Service Merit, Silver Tower went to Kim Sang-don, a division head with KHNP for his leading roles in the construction of the new PWR reactor for the first time, solving its dry run and other issues and ensuring quality management.

Won Jae-yeon, a KHNP department chief, was honored with the Order of Industrial Service Merit, Bronze Tower for his roles related to construction technology and overall project management.