20 January 2016

Shin Kori‑3 Connected to the South Korean Grid

Shin Kori-3 Connected to the South Korean Grid

20 January 2016

The Shin Kori-3, located at Gori in the city district of Busan in the south east of the Republic of Korea, was connected to the grid on 15 January 2016, two years later than planned. The Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP) owned reactor is the first APR1400 (Advanced Pressurized Reactor) design to begin operation and the nations 25th commercial reactor.

KHNP applied for an operational license for Shin Kori-3 in 2011, with construction completed in 2013. However, operation of the plant was delayed as a result of several safety related scandals that engulfed the Korean nuclear industry from 2012. In May 2013, the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) confirmed a ten year long quality control scandal within the Korean nuclear industry. Shin-Kori-3 a well as unit 4, were found to have had falsified quality-control documents requiring the replacement of plant cabling (see South Korea section). In April 2015, the NSSC postponed a decision on granting a license, following notification by General Electric that it would recall valve components installed in Shin Kori-3 and -4. NSSC found that nine valves were installed in both Shin Kori-3 and -4, which did not comply with the technical specifications. The operational license was only granted by the NSSC on 29 October 2015.

Shin Kori-4 is planned for operation in 2017, with two additional APR1400 reactors planned for the site. Shin Kori-3 and -4 are the “reference plants” for the four APR1400 under construction at the Barakah site in the United Arab Emirates, scheduled to start up at a rhythm of one unit per year between 2017 and 2020.