Shin Hanul Unit 1 Enters Final Test Run... Full Operation 'Imminent' (Comprehensive)

Shin Hanul Unit 1 Enters 5th Phase of Commissioning... Scheduled to Operate in September
Originally Targeted Commercial Operation in 2017... Schedule Delayed 5 Years Under Moon Administration
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy: "Power Supply Issues Will Worsen... Nuclear Power Is More Important Than Anything"

A view of Shin Hanul Units 1 and 2 located in Uljin, Gyeongbuk.
Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Jun-hyung] Shin Hanul Unit 1, whose operation was delayed under the Moon Jae-in administration, has entered the final countdown for commercial operation.

According to related ministries on the 18th, Shin Hanul Unit 1 connected to the power grid on the 15th and began the fifth stage of test operation. The fifth stage of test operation is the final stage required before full-scale operation of a nuclear power plant. Previously, Shin Hanul Unit 1 received conditional operation approval from the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission in July last year and started the first stage of test operation. The government plans to operate Shin Hanul Unit 1 by September.

Shin Hanul Unit 1 is a large nuclear power plant with a generation capacity of 1.4GW. Originally, construction of Shin Hanul Unit 1 began in April 2010, and commercial operation was scheduled to start in April 2017. However, under the Moon Jae-in administration, the construction schedule was delayed due to safety evaluations and quality enhancements, and it was completed in April 2020, three years later than planned.

The operation start of Shin Hanul Unit 1 was ultimately delayed by more than five years compared to the government's plan. Even after its completion in 2020, it only received conditional operation approval after a year, and the commercial operation, which was postponed once in March this year due to equipment quality issues, was delayed again.

In response, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, which promotes itself as a 'nuclear power superpower,' has put great effort into operating Shin Hanul Unit 1. The success or failure of nuclear power policy may hinge on the operation timing of Shin Hanul Units 1 and 2, which have a combined generation capacity of 2.8GW. The government has already declared through the 'New Government Energy Policy Direction' announced earlier this month that it will raise the share and capacity of nuclear power to the 30% range and 28.9MW respectively by 2030. Since the construction progress of Shin Hanul Units 1 and 2 reached 99.13% as of the end of last month, if only the final tasks such as test operation speed up, the share of nuclear power can be significantly increased by next year.

This is why Park Il-jun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, visited the Hanul Nuclear Power Headquarters of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power in Uljin, Gyeongbuk, to inspect the test operation site of Shin Hanul Unit 1. While inspecting the test operation site, Vice Minister Park said, "Please make every effort to complete Shin Hanul Units 1 and 2 so that they can contribute to power supply and demand," adding, "Especially since Shin Hanul Unit 1 is currently in test operation, thorough performance checks including safety must be conducted."

Vice Minister Park Il-jun Presiding Over Summer Power Supply and Demand Situation Inspection Meeting
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Park Il-jun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, is presiding over the "First Day Power Supply and Demand Related Agencies Situation Inspection Meeting during the Summer Power Supply Emergency Measures Period" at the Ministry of Industry's Power Supply Situation Room in the Government Sejong Complex on July 4th. 2022.7.4 [Provided by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Resale and DB prohibited]
Photo by Park Il-jun
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Vice Minister Park also checked the construction preparation status of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4. Earlier, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang announced at the presidential briefing on the 12th that the resumption of construction for Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 would be advanced from 2025 to 2024. Construction of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 was halted in 2017 due to the Moon Jae-in administration's 'nuclear phase-out' policy but was confirmed to resume under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy holds the view that the importance of not only Shin Hanul Units 1 and 2 but also Units 3 and 4 is significant. A ministry official explained, "Globally, due to the energy security crisis and the spread of electric vehicles, the issue of securing stable power supply is expected to intensify further," adding, "The role of nuclear power as a base-load power source is more important than ever."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.