Doosan Enerbility shows off component production capabilities

The press machine was demonstrated during a ceremony commemorating the beginning of Doosan Enerbility’s nuclear reactor core component production on Monday.

A 17,000-ton press machine is forging an alloy steel ingot into a component for a steam generator of the Shin-Hanul nuclear reactor unit 3 and 4. [DOOSAN ENERBILITY]

CHANGWON, South Gyeongsang — Flames blazed as a 17,000-ton press machine squeezed down on a massive alloy steel ingot with a resounding bang.

The sheer force caused the surface to break apart, revealing red-hot iron below, which soon began to take the shape of a cylinder under what Doosan Enerbility described as one of the world’s biggest forging machines.

The ingot will later be turned into a 775-ton steam generator, one of the core components of nuclear power plants, for the upcoming Shin-Hanul nuclear reactors.

The press machine was demonstrated during a ceremony commemorating the beginning of Doosan Enerbility’s nuclear reactor core component production on Monday, as the manufacturer got down to a 2.9-trillion-won ($2.2 billion) project to build Shin-Hanul nuclear reactors in Uljin, North Gyeongsang.

It marked the reignition of Doosan Enerbility’s nuclear business after a years-long nuclear winter under the previous administration's nuclear phase-out.

“We hosted the ceremony at our forging facility where the world’s biggest forging press machine is placed, with the hope for the restoration of the local nuclear industry,” said Chung Yeon-in, chief operating officer and president of Doosan Enerbility in his remarks during the ceremony Monday.

“We hope the molten metal we have poured in for the production serves as a springboard for the industry’s rebound,” stressed Chung.

Doosan Enerbility is the only company in Korea that manufactures key components for nuclear power plants such as reactor vessels and steam generators.

The company signed a 10-year supply deal worth 2.9 trillion won with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) in March for the construction project of Shin-Hanul reactor units 3 and 4, which had been halted due to the previous Moon Jae-in administration's nuclear exit.

The project is expected to bring in a new inflow of cash and jobs to the local industry, with about 460 local suppliers involved in the project, according to Doosan.

On Monday, Doosan Enerbility’s manufacturing facility for nuclear core components was still largely vacant, as the company had just begun the production of the Shin-Hanul reactor parts.

The factory has produced 34 nuclear reactor vessels and 124 steam generators for nuclear power plants at both home and abroad so far. Core components for the Barakah nuclear power plants in the United Arab Emirates were also manufactured at the facility.

“We had about 160 employees working here last year, and added around 40 to 50 more people in the boiler segment lately,” Lee Dong-heon, head of the nuclear component factory at Doosan Enerbility said, adding that the company plans to bring in more people by the latter half of the year.

“We will work on the manufacturing of components for Shin-Hanul reactor unit 3, and also components for small modular reactors (SMRs) starting next year,” said Lee.

The factory consists of five long buildings called “bays,” where components are produced and assembled. The first and second bays will be used for manufacturing SMR parts, according to Lee.

In March, Doosan Enerbility signed a contract with NuScale Power to supply core components for SMRs. The Portland, Oregon-based SMR start-up plans to deploy 77-megawatt SMR modules in Idaho.

NuScale Power also plans to build 6 SMR modules in Uljin, North Gyeongsang.

Completed in 1982, Doosan’s Changwon production site measures 4.3 million square meters (1,063 acres) in total. The complex houses manufacturing facilities for nuclear reactor components, turbines for power generators, and wind turbine parts, as well as a port for shipments.

Doosan manufactures gas turbines and steam turbines for nuclear power plants and liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plants at the Changwon site as well.

Doosan Enerbility employees work on the final assembly of a large-scale gas turbine. [DOOSAN ENERBILITY]

In 2019, it became the fifth company in the world to develop a gas turbine for power generation with its 270-megawatt turbine, which has been deployed at a cogeneration plant in Gimpo. The company is currently developing a turbine that burns 50 percent hydrogen and 50 percent LNG.

Under the renewables business, Doosan Enerbility produces wind turbine parts with a generation capacity of 3 megawatts, 3.3 megawatts, 5.5 megawatts and 8 megawatts.

“Doosan Enerbility’s wind turbine components are designed specifically for Korea’s natural environment, which means that they are more efficient in the local wind conditions compared to European models designed for the European wind conditions,” said Song Chi-wook, head of production at the wind turbine parts factory.

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]