26 Apr (NucNet): Unit 4 of the Shin-Kori nuclear power station has been connected to the electricity grid, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power announced.
The nuclear operator, a subsidiary of state-owned Korea Electric Power Corporation, said the 1,340 MW pressurised water reactor was connected to the grid at 17:40 local time on 22 April, marking the start of electricity supply from the domestic APR-1400 unit.
The plant’s power level will be gradually increased to full capacity during the commissioning process and the unit will be ready to begin commercial operation around mid-August, KHNP said.
The unit was initially expected to enter commercial operation in 2018. However, construction was delayed several times because of seismic safety reassessments, design changes, and the 2017 decision by the government to suspend construction of new nuclear plants because of a proposed phaseout strategy. The suspension was later overturned due to public opposition.
There are three units in commercial operation at the Shin-Kori site in Kori, near Busan in the south of the country. Units 1 and 2 are 996-MW OPR-1000 PWRs, while Unit 3 is an APR-1400. Three more units – Shin-Kori-4, -5, and -6 – are under construction and all of the APR-1400 design.
Shin-Kori-3 became the first APR-1400 to begin commercial operation in December 2016.
