"Innovative SMR Progress Without Setbacks"…Project Team Workshop

The Innovative Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Technology Development Project Group and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power announced that they held a workshop on June 16-17 at the Onoma Hotel in Daejeon to review the results of the first phase basic design of the innovative SMR and to successfully promote the second phase standard design and standard design licensing review.

At this workshop, about 100 experts from academia, research, and various fields gathered to discuss the innovative SMR project operation plan and technology development directions.

Professor Lee Jeong-ik of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology emphasized that “the development of coal-fired power replacement technology that can contribute to carbon neutrality and flexible operation capability that can coexist with renewable energy,” Director Roh Dong-seok of the Nuclear Communication Support Center at the Korea Energy Information Culture Foundation stressed “transparent and continuous two-way communication based on objective facts to solve future energy issues,” and Professor Shim Hyung-jin of Seoul National University highlighted that “developing SMRs that combine high safety, flexibility, and economic feasibility” are essential strategies for the success of innovative SMRs.

The Innovative SMR Project Group and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power held the Innovative SMR Workshop and Design Performance Presentation on the 16th and 17th at the Onoma Hotel in Daejeon.

In particular, regarding the recent agreement between U.S. SMR developer NuScale and the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) to halt the construction plan of the VOYGR (NuScale 460) nuclear power plant, experts participating in the workshop evaluated this as “a transitional situation where one of several business models in the early commercialization process is switching to another model.”

They also stated, “It remains unchanged that SMRs, which are carbon-free power sources with excellent flexible operation capability according to power demand, are essential,” and advised, “To turn this situation into an opportunity, we must reduce the technological development gap with competing reactor types and devote ourselves to technology development to secure competitiveness through thorough planning and preparation.” Furthermore, they recommended, “To this end, the standard design development of the innovative SMR, which will be promoted from next year following the basic design conducted by KHNP, should be carried out without any setbacks.”

Since 2021, KHNP has been conducting conceptual and basic design research for innovative SMRs in cooperation with various domestic academic, industrial, and research institutions. At the same time, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy jointly planned the innovative SMR technology development project and completed the preliminary feasibility study in June 2022. In February of this year, the Innovative SMR Project Group was established to oversee the project and proceed with technology development.

The basic design research led by KHNP is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, and from next year, the Innovative SMR Project Group will take charge of the standard design development and licensing acquisition tasks promoted under the government’s technology development project.

Currently, the Innovative SMR Project Group is reviewing the preliminary design together with regulatory agencies, aiming to complete the standard design by the end of 2025, apply for licensing in early 2026, and obtain standard design approval by 2028.

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