Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) has announced that the 1.4 GW second unit of the Shin Hanul nuclear power plant, located in Uljin county (eastern South Korea), has reached first criticality. The unit is the second of two APR-1400 reactors the Shin Hanul plant. Unit 2 is scheduled to start generating electricity before the end of December 2023 and is scheduled to begin full-scale commercial operation in the first half of 2024. Unit 1 entered commercial operations in December 2022.
In addition, KHNP has selected a consortium led by Hyundai Engineering & Construction for the construction of the main facilities for the planned Units 3 and 4 at the Shin Hanul nuclear plant. The consortium comprises Hyundai E&C, Doosan Enerbility and Posco E&C, which were chosen for a contract worth KRW3,100bn (US$2.3bn). Construction of the APR-1400 units is expected to begin in April 2024 after a construction permit is issued. Unit 3 is scheduled for completion by 2032, and unit 4 by 2033.
In 2022, nuclear represented 18% of South Korea’s installed capacity with nearly 25 GW and 28% of its power generation. In January 2023, South Korea’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy unveiled a target to raise the share of nuclear power generation in the country to 32.4% by 2030 and 34.6% by 2036. The new objective should be achieved by resuming the construction of two reactors and continuing the operations of existing reactors.
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