19 Apr (NucNet): Unit 4 at South Korea’s Shin-Kori nuclear power station in Busan has reached first criticality with grid connection scheduled for the end of April, operator Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power said.
The company, a subsidiary of state-owned Korea Electric Power Corporation, said commercial operation is scheduled for September following seven months of commissioning tests.
In February South Korea’s Nuclear Safety and Security Commission approved the start of the 1,340-MW domestic APR-1400 pressurised water reactor, which has been under construction since August 2009.
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. 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.
