Power plant partners contribute to localization of equipment

Jul 26, 2023, 09:05 am

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Saeul nuclear power plant units 1-4 located in Ulju-gun, Ulsan. Units 3 and 4 on the left are about to be completed. / Source: Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd

AsiaToday reporter Lee Jun-young

Providers of nuclear power plant equipment, which were difficult to manage due to the previous government’s nuclear phase-out policy, are normalizing due to the revitalization of the nuclear power plant industry. Cooperative small and medium-sized enterprises are contributing to the restoration of the nuclear power plant ecosystem with domestic technology.

Woojin, Sung-il SIM, DUON System, and NADA are the small but key nuclear power plant partners that AsiaToday interviewed on Tuesday. They have developed domestic technologies despite the ups and downs of the nuclear power plant industry. They also participated in the construction of Saeul 3 and 4, which are about to be completed.

They are contributing to the localization of nuclear power plant equipment and technology emphasized by the government. At the completion ceremony of Shin Hanul 1 in December last year, President Yoon Suk-yeol stressed the localization of nuclear power plant technology, saying, “Shin Hanul 1 is an APR1400 furnace developed by Korea and is the first nuclear power plant whose key technologies for major equipment such as measurement control facilities are completely localized.”

In fact, Woojin has successfully localized all four key measuring devices in the main reactor since the 1990s, such as In-Core Instrument (ICI) assembly which relied entirely on imports, contributing to the development of the domestic nuclear power plant industry.

For Saeul 3 and 4, the firm supplied key instruments, including ICI, which measures neutron flux and exit temperature inside the reactor, Reed Switch Position Transmitter (RSPT) that detects control rod position in the reactor, and Process Instrumentation Resistance Temperature Detector (PI RTD) package, which quickly and accurately measures coolant temperature in the nuclear steam supply system (NSSS).

Woojin, which has suffered from the stagnant nuclear power plant industry, has recently revived its performance thanks to the revitalization of nuclear power plants. “When the construction of Saeul 3 and 4 was suspended after it came under the spotlight, the company’s performance deteriorated significantly due to delays like other firms,” an official from Woojin said. “Since then, the construction of Saeul reactors has resumed and Woojin’s performance stabilized as it began to deliver products manufactured.”

#Saeul #nuclear power plant #Shin Hanul #localization