The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission of South Korea has conditionally authorised the 1.4 GW Shin Hanul 1 nuclear reactor to start commercial operations. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corporation (KHNP), which has built the plant located in coastal county of Uljin, will have to implement further safety measures. Construction started in 2012 and the reactor was completed in April 2021, but has been shut down amid a safety review, which started in November 2020. Commissioning is scheduled in 2022.
Nuclear accounts for 19% of South Korea’s installed capacity, with 24 nuclear units distributed across 4 sites: Kori (7 reactors totalling 7.2 GW), Wolsong (5 reactors, 4.1 GW), Hanbit (6 reactors, 5.9 GW), and Hanul (Ulchin) (6 reactors, 5.9 GW). Three other nuclear are currently under construction in South Korea: Shin Hanul 2, Shin Kori 5 and Shin Kori 6. The country, which does not consider nuclear as an option to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, aims to close 10 of its 24 nuclear reactors by 2038.
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