Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power
🇰🇷 Gyeongju, KR · Founded 2001 · Active
Also known as KHNP
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) is the subsidiary of the state utility Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) that runs South Korea's nuclear and hydroelectric plants. It was split out of KEPCO in 2001; KEPCO had opened the country's first nuclear plant at Kori in Busan in 1977. Its head office is in Gyeongju. Wikipedia reports that in December 2020 it operated 24 nuclear power plants, and its own site lists five nuclear sites: Kori, Saeul, Wolseong, Hanbit and Hanul. With the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute it is developing the i-SMR, an integral pressurised water small modular reactor with a core of 520 MW of heat, according to the IAEA's 2024 catalogue of small reactors.
- Sector
- Fission
- Technology
- Pressurised water reactor
- Role
- Utility, Operator, Reactor developer
Terms
- Pressurised water reactor
- Ordinary (light) water kept under high pressure so it heats without boiling, transferring heat to a separate steam loop; the water is both coolant and moderator. Fuel is low-enriched uranium oxide pellets in zirconium-alloy rods. The most common reactor type in service worldwide.
Designs
| Design | Developer | Approach | Electrical output per unit | Size class | Licensing stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| i-SMR innovative SMR | Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power with KAERI | Pressurised water reactor | 170 MWe planned | Small modular reactor | No milestone recorded |