Inside Shin-Hanul 2, Korea's energy future is taking shape

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Inside Shin-Hanul 2, Korea's energy future is taking shape

Published: 08 Dec. 2022, 18:23 Updated: 08 Dec. 2022, 19:11

Shin-Hanul nuclear power plant in Uljin, North Gyeongsang. [KOREA HYDRO AND NUCLEAR POWER CO.]

ULJIN, North Gyeongsang - Within a massive concrete dome the height of a high-rise, a metallic steel vessel the size of a small house sits to one side ready to be positioned into the center.

Sometime next year it will be fueled with uranium rods, and the element will fission to create enough energy to power a small city.

This is Shin-Hanul 2. It's located right next to Shin-Hanul 1, which went into commercial operation on Wednesday. Shin-Hanul unit 2 is near completion, 99 percent done and scheduled go online in September next year.

“We’re currently producing 1,400 megawatts of electricity every hour,” said Hong Seung-koo, technology chief of Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) and in charge of Shin-Hanul 1. “That’s over 10,000 gigawatt hours annually, which is equivalent to 23.5 percent of the annual electricity consumption in North Gyeongsang.”

Six existing Hanul reactors located nearby already produce 75 percent of the annual energy consumed in North Gyeongsang. With the addition of Shin-Hanul 1, 100 percent of the energy used in the province can be supplied.

Shin-Hanul 2 is expected to generate the same amount of electricity as the first unit.

Both units use APR1400 reactors, which are also installed in the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirate. Barakah went online last year.

APR1400 reactors were installed in Shin-Kori 3 and 4 in 2006 and will be installed in six other nuclear plants, including the two Shin-Hanul units. KHNP stressed that the two most recent nuclear power projects are the first in the country where all key components - not only the APR1400 – are localized.

This includes the main control systems and the reactor cooling pump.

KHNP has improved the reactors in terms of safety since the Fukushima Daiichi disaster a decade ago.

In the reactors, steam created by energy from the reaction drives massive turbine blades that power the generators. Unlike in the Fukushima reactors where the water contaminated with radiation were used to turn the turbines, the turbines in the new Korean reactors have no contact with the radioactive water.

This prevents the leakage of contaminated water in case of a major event like the tsunami that hit the Fukushima plant.

Diesel engines have been installed so that in case the nuclear power plant is shut off, the engines are automatically turned on to keep the cooling system on to keep the nuclear fuel from melting.

The nuclear plant also has a Passive Autocatalytic Recombiner (PAR), which prevents a chain combustion of hydrogen, which happened in Fukushima. All nuclear power plants in Korea have had PARs since 2011.

“The Shin-Hanul nuclear plant is far safer than Fukushima plant,” said Shin Ki-jong, head of the Shin-Hanul construction team.

The localized technology and enhanced safety measures are expected to increase Korea’s chance of winning major bids overseas.

Since the Yoon Suk-yeol government took office, it has been pitching Korea's nuclear capabilities overseas, a turnaround from Moon Jae-in, which vowed to end the use of nuclear energy and increase the use of renewables.

Just three months after Yoon was sworn into office, Korea won the contract for building a turbine island for El-Dabaa in Egypt, and in October it received a promise from the Polish government for work related to the Patnow nuclear power plant.

Last month, Korea submitted a bid for the $6 billion Dukovany nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic and expressed interest in a nuclear power project in Saudi Arabia.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Wednesday, Mark Cojuangco, head of the Philippines house of representative special committee on nuclear energy, requested Korea’s support to revive the country’s nuclear energy program, abandoned for 40 years ago.

Cojunangco told Korean Deputy Minister on energy Cheon Young-gil during their meeting in Seoul on Wednesday that the Philippines is pushing for policies that would strengthen its nuclear energy capabilities amid an energy crisis and climate change.

The committee chairman asked for Korea’s help in conducting a feasibility study on the Bataan nuclear power plant, a promise made by president Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Inside dome of the Shin-Hanul 2 nuclear power plant, where the reactor will be installed [KOREA HYDRO AND NUCLEAR POWER CO.]

President Yoon again stressed the importance of Korea’s nuclear power plant-related sales overseas.

"We will actively foster nuclear energy, defense, infrastructure construction and K-content as the new major industries,” Yoon said during the annual Trade Day ceremony held at COEX on Monday. “We have won the 3-trillion-won ($2.3 billion) El-Dabaa nuclear project in Egypt and a $12.4 billion defense contract with Poland.

“The government will do all it can to support the country in becoming a top-five exporter by 2026.”

The nuclear reactors will help in promoting the country overseas and help in reducing electricity bills and lowering and eliminating the trade deficit.

Last month, imports of crude oil, gas and coal totaled $15.5 billion, which is a 27.1 percent increase on year. The accumulated import total for the three energy sources in the first 11 months was $174 billion, a 75 percent increase.

Kepco is reporting record losses as a result.

The commercial operation of Shin-Hanul 1 comes as temperatures fall and energy demand increases.

On Monday, the maximum demand hit 83,990 megawatts, the highest this winter. This was due to low temperatures.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy projects that energy demand during winter will likely peak at between 90 and 94 gigawatts in the third week of next month.

The government said with the addition of Shin-Hanul 1, the total energy supplied is expected to amount to 109 gigawatt with a reserve between 15 and 18.6 gigawatts.

Shin-Hanul 1 is the 27th nuclear reactor built in Korea. A total of 25 are operating, as two have been decommissioned.

With Shin-Hanul 1, Korea is now No. 6 globally in terms of the number of nuclear power plants.

The United States has 92, France 56, China 55, Russia 37 and Japan 33.

It has taken more than a decade for the two new nuclear power plants to be completed since ground was broken in April 2010.

Unit 1 was supposed to go online in 2017. It was postponed as safety features were improved after an earthquake in Gyeongju in 2016.

The Moon government’s policy of phasing out nuclear energy on grounds of safety was another factor that led to the delay.

Excluding the Shin-Hanul reactors, two more are currently under construction – Shin Kori 5 and 6.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]