Small Modular Reactor 'Smart100' Standard Design Approved... Commercialization Threshold Surpassed

Meeting scene of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission. September 26, 2024. Photo by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission.

South Korea's small and medium-sized nuclear reactor 'SMART,' which is being promoted for export to Saudi Arabia and other countries, has received standard design approval. It took five years since the design approval application was submitted in 2019.

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) held its 201st meeting on the 25th at the commission office in Jung-gu, Seoul, and confirmed and resolved that the 'SMART100 standard design approval plan' meets the approval criteria under Article 12, Paragraph 5 of the Nuclear Safety Act.

The NSSC explained, "Regarding the application of technical standards related to the power system during the review process, it was decided that the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) will review it in subsequent licensing processes."

Standard design approval is the first gateway for commercialization, recognizing the comprehensive safety of the design from the regulatory agency before constructing a nuclear power plant.

The SMART100 is characterized by introducing a passive safety system that maintains the reactor in a stable state without external actions, enhancing safety compared to the SMART, which received standard design approval in 2012. Accordingly, even if an accident like the Fukushima disaster in Japan occurs, the reactor can be kept in a safe shutdown state for at least 72 hours without AC power, external coolant injection, or operator intervention. The output was also increased from 100 megawatt electric (MWe) to 110 MWe.

The SMART100 was jointly applied for standard design approval to the NSSC in December 2019 by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, and the Saudi Royal Nuclear and Renewable Energy Agency.

Earlier, before the review of the SMART100 standard design approval in July, the NSSC received the review results from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety and others.

KINS reviewed the application documents through 12 rounds of 2,621 review questions and answers and concluded that the location, structure, and performance meet the technical standards. Subsequently, from May last year, the Nuclear Safety Expert Committee was reported to, and a response confirming the validity of the review results was received.

With the approval of SMART100, the Korean small modular reactor (i-SMR) currently under development is also expected to gain momentum. SMRs refer to reactors that reduce size compared to existing large reactors to enhance safety and lower electric output to 300 MWe. The i-SMR aims to obtain standard design approval by 2028.

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