The U.S. is now conducting a thorough review of the APR1400 reactor model, developed by the state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, to determine whether to officially certify its design, the state power operator said Tuesday.

The so-called next-generation reactor model ― with larger capacity, longer life span and less costs ― passed a preliminary screening by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission last week.

The NRC’s final approval would pave the way for South Korea to export the reactor to the United States.

An NRC certificate for a reactor’s design is considered a state-approved guarantee of its safety. Acquiring the certificate is a precondition for any reactor planning to be operated in the U.S. and effectively removes many hurdles for its smooth construction in the country.
 

KHNP said it designed APR1400 over the past decade with the latest U.S. nuclear regulations in mind, which were strengthened last year to include a preliminary review system for reactor design among other conditions. The Korean reactor is the first model subject to the NRC’s new review system.

Should the NRC certify APR1400, most likely in 2019, it is expected to help boost the model’s exports to the U.S., where the operating license for some 30 existing nuclear reactors are scheduled to expire in 2030, KHNP officials said.

“As the third foreign-developed nuclear reactor to undergo the NRC review, APR1400 will help demonstrate the excellence of Korea’s reactor design and boost its reactor exports internationally,” KHNP said in a statement.

“We hope that South Korea’s APR1400 design will pass the main screening process and receive the NRC’s certification within the allotted time frame, as well as become a key model for the reactor design certification system,” Glen Tracy, director of the Office of New Reactors at NRC, was quoted as saying in the statement.

By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)