SPECIAL REPORT | NUCLEAR POWER IN ASIA


Despite Fukushima, Korea announced plans in 2012 to


Above: Taiwan’s Maanshan NPP has now been closed in line with a nuclear phase-out law adopted in 2016 Photo credit: Jack Hong/Shutterstock.com


increase nuclear’s share to 60% by 2035. However, in the face of growing public opposition, the government in 2013 drafted a reduced plan for a 29% nuclear share by 2035 and in 2017, the new government of President Moon Jae-in adopted a phase out plan. By the time this policy was reversed in 2023 by President Yoon Suk-yeol, the nuclear industry had lost a lot of ground. The new target was a 34.6% nuclear share by 2036, the export of 10 NPPs by 2030 and development of a Korean SMR design for export. Korea’s ties to the US have also complicated its nuclear development. The 1974 Korea-US Atomic Energy Agreement that limited raw material supply and banned uranium enrichment and fuel reprocessing in Korea was extended for 20 years in 2015. Faced with pressure from Korea, the renewed agreement was framed more as a partnership, but it still contained restrictions. In May 2022 Korea joined the US-led Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) programme during a visit from US President Joe Biden’s visit to Korea to collaborate in promoting the global deployment of SMRs. However, Westinghouse filed a lawsuit against KHNP


new reactor designs being developed. In 2005 the OPR- 1000 (Optimised Power Reactor) was launched with an eye to Asian markets. South Korea now has 10 operating OPR-1000 units and has since developed the Generation III APR-1400, three of which are in operation. Korea has an extensive nuclear R&D base and


manufacturing capacity including state-owned Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Korea Electric Power Co (Kepco) and subsidiary Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) as well as heavy engineering companies such as Samsung, Daewoo, Hyundai, and Doosan. These dominate the domestic market and are increasingly active globally. Projects include a variety of advanced reactors and SMRs, including the 330MWt System-Integrated Modular Advanced Reactor (SMART) reactor, which began development in 1997. In 2015 the SMART Power Company Ltd was launched supported by six supply chain companies to promote exports particularly to the Middle East and a co-operation agreement was signed with Saudi Arabia. Korea is also working on a sodium-cooled FNR in close co-operation with the US, and a HTGR for hydrogen generation. Korea is driven by considerations of energy security and the need to minimise dependence on imported fuels and technology. Kepco markets the OPR1000 and APR1400 globally. In 2009 the APR1400 was selected by the UAE for its four-unit Barakah NPP, now almost complete with three units already in operation ahead of schedule and within budget. Korea also won a contract in 2009 to supply a research reactor to Jordan, which was commissioned in 2016. In 2010 Korea announced plans to export 80 reactors


by 2030, targeting 20% of the global market. It aimed to be 100% self-sufficient in nuclear technology by 2012, with no residual intellectual property constraints. US design certification for the APR1400 was finally approved in 2019 and in 2023 a new APR1000 design, specifically developed for the European market, was certified by the European Utility Requirements organisation. The success of the UAE project sparked interest worldwide and preliminary agreements were signed with several countries.


16 | August 2023 | www.neimagazine.com


after it signed an agreement with Polish private company ZE PAK to build an APR1400 at a former coal plant. This came after a tender to supply reactors for Poland’s nuclear power programme was awarded to Westinghouse. This also undermined Korea’s plans for possible exports to the Czech Republic and Saudi Arabia. The lawsuit alleged intellectual property infringement by KHNP insisting on US government consent for export of the APR1400 claiming that it uses Westinghouse technology.


India India’s largely indigenous nuclear power programme is self- sufficient in reactor design and construction. Its 22 operable reactors at seven sites have a total capacity of 6,795 MWe, although three are currently suspended for repair leaving 19 operating units with a total capacity of 6,290 MWe. Eight more units under construction at four sites will add 6,028 MWe, with 12 further units planned. Nuclear currently accounts for around 1.5% of India’s installed power capacity. In April 2023 the government announced plans to increase nuclear capacity to 22,480 MWe by 2031, with nuclear accounting for nearly 9% of India’s electricity by 2047. The reactor fleet comprises a range of different


technologies, both imported and indigenous. Most are Indian designed PHWRs. Other technologies include India’s first power reactor, a Canadian supplied Candu at Rajasthan NPP, which started up in 1973 and closed in 2004; two BWRs built by GE on a turnkey contract at Tarapur NPP (currently suspended); and two VVERs (PWRs) at Kudankulam supplied by Russia. India is also building a 500 MWe FNR at Kalpakkam. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is responsible for construction and operation of India’s NPPs and Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (Bhavini) is responsible for FNR development. Engineering companies, such as state-owned Bharat


Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), Larsen & Toubro (L&T), and Bharat Forge Ltd (BFL), are key players in nuclear construction. The 1962 Atomic Energy Act prohibited private control of nuclear power generation. Amendments in 2016 only allow public sector joint ventures and direct foreign investment only in the supply chain and not in construction.


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