www.korea.net

NEW REACTOR TECHNOLOGY The APR
1400, the nuclear reactor to be built in
the UAE, is the fruit of long-term nuclear
power development in Korea. It’s a
third-generation light-water reactor
based on the design, construction and
operation of the OPR 1000, the Korean
standard for nuclear power plants.
To produce the APR 1400, the
Korean government launched a project
to develop next-generation nuclear reactor
technology in 1992. By 1999, the
basic blueprint was completed and the
name APR 1400 came to be. In 2002, it
won national design certification, and
five years later, the standard was applied
to nuclear reactors in Korea.
The 1.4-million kW unit has an operational
lifespan of 60 years and can be
built in 54 months. This reactor is said
to suffer less than one core damage per
1 million years. It has 10 times the safety
and economical benefits of OPR
1000. In terms of economics, among the
third-generation reactors based on OPR
1000, APR 1400 has the most competitive
overnight cost per kilowatt at
US$2,300. In comparison, the figures
for the French reactor (EPR) measured
at US$2,900, while those for the
Japanese (ABWR) and the US (AP 1000)
models were US$2,900 and US$3,582,
respectively.
It’s also convenient to operate and
maintain. There is twice as much time —
up to eight hours from four hours — to
respond to the halting of operations,
while the amount of time workers are
exposed to radiation has been reduced.
A system to make maintenance and
inspections more convenient has also
been bolstered. Currently, APR 1400
construction works are under way for the
New Gori Nos 3 and 4, the first commercial
reactors, and for New Uljin Nos 1
and 2. A new model of APR 1400 for
the European market is in development,
and Korea is also trying to win US design
certification in order to enter the
American market.
Yonhapnews Agency
A brand-new nuclear power plant built in Gori,
Korea, on February 28, 2009 is shown (above).
Korean President Lee Myung-bak and the UAE’s
President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced
the results of the Korea-UAE Nuclear Power Deal
at Abu Dhabi on December 27, 2009 (below).
Yonhapnews Agency
38
KOREA
FEBRUARY
2010