Korea to accelerate Shin Hanul 3, 4 construction to revive nuclear energy

The Second Vice Minister of Industry Kang Kyung-sung visits the construction site of Shin Hanul Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4 in Uljin-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea on May 18. [Photo provided by The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy]

The South Korean government has set out to accelerate the construction of Shin Hanul Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4 and shorten the timeline by more than 15 months, a move to reverse the previous administration’s nuclear power phase-out policy.

The government plans to shortly complete the environmental impact assessment and embark on site development for nuclear power plant construction in July. However, there are concerns that the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC), which has a majority of commissioners appointed by the former Moon Jae-in administration, may put a brake on the project with its authority over construction permits.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Thursday that it plans to “shorten the schedule by more than 15 months from a regular timeline by closely working with relevant ministries.” It will approve the implementation plan for power supply development in July and immediately begin works for site development, according to the ministry.

The Ministry of Environment is currently assessing environmental impacts of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 and is expected to grant approval as early as at the end of this month. The goal is to complete construction sequentially from 2032.

The Second Vice Minister of Industry Kang Kyung-sung also visited the site as his first official on-site visit after taking office. “Let’s take it with speed while adhering to relevant rules and regulations and ensuring safety,” Kang said during his visit to the site. “I urge the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) to make thorough preparations to ensure that the construction timeline is not held up due to NSSC delaying the issue of the construction permits.”

Such a move had been somewhat predicted when the presidential office appointed Kang on May 10, the only ministerial replacement among government ministries. It was interpreted as a call for reinforced efforts to promote the Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s nuclear policy.

The construction of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 had been pursued during the Kim Dae-jung administration in May 2002 after designating development zones for Units 1-4 of Shin Hanul, then known as Shin Uljin. The project was incorporated into the Seventh Basic Plan for Long-Term Electricity (BPLE) in July 2015, and a permit was granted in February 2017. However, the construction plan was canceled after the inauguration of Moon Jae-in administration as it unveiled an energy conversion roadmap. It was also excluded from the Eighth BPLE released in December 2017.

The construction site of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 in Uljin-gun, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea [Photo provided by KHNP]

As the Yoon administration took office last year, it announced a new government energy policy direction to officially resume the construction of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 in July. It was also reflected in the 10th BPLE in January this year. The KHNP and Doosan Enerbility Co. signed an agreement to supply main equipment for Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 in March.

Yet, experts say that it remains to be seen whether the NSSC will grant construction permission and when if it does. The completion can be shortened by one or two years if the construction permit is granted swiftly. But it is unclear as to how quickly the process will unfold as a majority of the nine commissioners of the NSSC have been appointed by the Moon administration.

Chairperson Yoo Guk-hee and four other commissioners were appointed by the predecessor government, and one out of the remaining four commissioners was recommended by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. The heads of public institutions under the NSSC were also appointed by the Moon administration. Kim Sok-chul, president of the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, and Kim Je-nam, president of the Korea Foundation of Nuclear Safety, are one of them.

Kim Sok-chul took office in December 2021 after serving as president of the Korea Institute of Nuclear Nonproliferation and Control for three years from July 2018 during the Moon administration. His current term ends in December next year. Kim Je-nam has previously been dedicated to the cause of nuclear power phase-out as secretary general of the Green Korea United, member of the liberal Justice Party and senior secretary to the president for relations with non-governmental organization during the Moon administration. He was appointed to the current post in February last year right before the presidential election, which was condemned as a move to exercise influence in the succeeding administration.

“There will be no delay as long as the NSSC simply examines safety according to its original purpose,” said Jeong Yong-hoon, professor of nuclear and quantum engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). “It is of concern as there were many cases such as Shin Hanul Unit 1 and Hanbit Unit 4 where time was wasted for no particular safety reasons.”

Shin Hanul Unit 1, which was initially scheduled to be completed in April 2017, was completed only in December last year as the schedule was delayed with the inauguration of the Moon administration. Hanbit Unit 4, meanwhile, resumed operations five years and seven months after it was subject to planned preventive maintenance in May 2017.