Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Hosts SMR International Conference... Presenting Development Blueprint

Sharing the Global Status of SMR Technology Development and Licensing

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power announced on the 2nd that it will hold the '2022 Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power SMR International Conference' at BEXCO in Busan from the 4th to the 7th to fully promote the SMR (Small Modular Reactor) business.

SMR is a small modular reactor that reduces the power generation capacity to 300 MW or less compared to existing large commercial nuclear power plants with over 1000 MW (megawatts). It is attracting attention as an alternative that can complement the supply instability of renewable energy and realize carbon neutrality by 2050.

KHNP is developing the ‘Innovative Small Modular Reactor (i-SMR)’, and the preliminary feasibility study jointly applied by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Science and ICT for the i-SMR technology development project as a national project passed in June.

The event will begin with keynote speeches by Lim Chae-young, Director of the Innovative Nuclear Systems Research Institute at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, and Neil Warmsthorst, Senior Vice President of the U.S. Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). In the technical sessions, cases of SMR promotion and development worldwide, as well as the status of SMR licensing preparations by Korea and the IAEA, will be shared.

The Ministry of Science and ICT, co-hosting the ‘Innovative SMR Technology Development Project’, will express the government’s strong support for the development of next-generation reactors such as SMR through a video congratulatory message by First Vice Minister Oh Tae-seok. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will present plans to leap forward as an SMR powerhouse through independent technology development and value chain strengthening by Energy Industry Office Director Cheon Young-gil at the opening ceremony.

In addition, related nuclear organizations such as the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, Korean Nuclear Society, Korea Nuclear Industry Association, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, and Korea Nuclear Cooperation Foundation will participate. From the industry side, Korea Electric Power Technology, KEPCO KPS, KEPCO Nuclear Fuel, Doosan Enerbility, Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung C&T, Hyundai Engineering, GS Construction, Daewoo Construction, POSCO Construction, DL E&C, Hyundai Construction, and Susan ENS plan to participate. In academia, Seoul National University, POSTECH, KAIST, UNIST, Hanyang University, Kyung Hee University, Pusan National University, Handong Global University, and Korea Electric Power International Nuclear Graduate School, which lead domestic SMR-related research, will participate.

From overseas, global organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), U.S. Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Danish SMR company C-BOG, French nuclear power company Framatome, the worldwide heavy water reactor operators group COG, and Canadian engineering firm HATCH are expected to attend in large numbers.

Hwang Ju-ho, President of KHNP, said, "I look forward to in-depth discussions among experts in various fields on domestic and international SMR development and utilization through this conference held at a time when the importance of SMR as an energy source for carbon neutrality is highlighted."

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