Construction has officially begun on unit 4 of South Korea’s Shin Hanul NPP in Ulchin County following the first pouring of safety-related concrete for its reactor building foundation, according to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP). This comes just one year after the first concrete was poured for unit 3. Both units will deploy APR1400 reactors.
KHNP has targeted unit 3 to begin commercial operations in 2032, with unit 4 scheduled to follow in 2033. Upon completion, the two units are expected to satisfy some 46% of the annual electrical demand for the North Gyeongsang (Gyeongbuk) region. South Korea has four APR1400 units in operation at Saeul NPP 1&2 (formerly Shin Kori 3&4) and Shin Hanul 1&2. Two further APR1400s are under construction at Saeul 3&4.
The major construction contract is being executed by a consortium of Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Doosan Enerbility, and Posco E&C, with Kepco E&C handling the design infrastructure. The project represents a definitive policy shift by the South Korean government to revitalise its domestic nuclear construction industry, expand its “K-Power” global technology exports, and fulfil national carbon neutrality commitments.
“Shin Hanul Units 3&4 are a solid foundation that will support Korea’s energy future, just like the concrete being constructed now,” said KHNP President Kim Hoe-cheon. “We will build world-class nuclear power plants with safety as our top priority, with a sense of mission to contribute to achieving the national carbon neutrality goal.”
Shin Hanul 1&2 were the first nuclear units to be completed after former President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a new nuclear policy during his visit to the construction site in December 2021, when he was a presidential candidate. Construction of units 3&4 resumed, after being stalled for five years from 2017 due to the nuclear phase-out policy of the previous Moon Jae-in administration.
