Inside the Power Core of the AI Era: A Visit to the Shinhanul Nuclear Power Plant [Report]

Core Power Base for the Age of AI and Data Centers: Hanul Nuclear Headquarters
Shinhanul Unit 1 Alone Produces 8,821 GWh Annually
Supplying 18% of Seoul’s Electricity Demand
Shinhanul Units 3 and 4 at 29.8% Completion
"Safety Is Non-Negotiable

Exterior view of Shin Hanul Units 1 and 2. Located in Bukmyeon, Uljin County, Gyeongbuk Province, it is a Korean-style new nuclear power plant (APR1400) that produces electricity equivalent to about 18% of Seoul's annual electricity demand, serving as a key power supply base for South Korea. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power

At the end of the road leading to Buk-myeon, Uljin County, the first thing that caught the eye was a massive gray dome, larger than the sea itself. This is the Shin Hanul Nuclear Power Plant, facing the East Sea. Cranes moved alongside the calm spring sea, and dump trucks kicked up clouds of dust. The reactor was operating nonstop, and next to it, another nuclear plant was being constructed.

It takes three and a half hours by bus from the Government Complex Sejong. The small fishing village that houses the nuclear power plant has now become a massive industrial site. Hanul Units 1 to 6 and Shin Hanul Units 1 and 2 are in operation, while construction is underway for Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4. With maintenance personnel for Hanul Unit 5, which is undergoing scheduled preventive maintenance, the restaurants, accommodations, and convenience stores were filled with people in work uniforms.

On May 14, in an era of exploding demand for AI, data centers, and semiconductor factories, I entered the core of South Korea's power system—the Shin Hanul Nuclear Power Plant.

From the entrance, the atmosphere of the plant was different. The entry procedures were stricter than airport security. Access had to be approved in advance with submitted personal information, and identification was checked again on site. All electronic devices, such as smartphones and laptops, had to be left outside.

After passing through thick protective doors, the massive reactor building came into view. The rounded dome-shaped containment structure stands at 76.66 meters tall—the equivalent of a 27-story apartment building. Up close, the building looked less like a simple concrete structure and more like a colossal fortress.

Shin Hanul Units 1 and 2 contain a total of 103,000 tons of rebar—about 13 times the amount used in constructing the 63 Building. The outer wall of the containment building is up to 1.22 meters thick. The internal pressure is maintained lower than the outside so that, in the event of an issue, outside air would be drawn in rather than radioactive substances escaping.

Throughout the plant, enhanced safety concepts introduced after the Fukushima accident were evident. Core equipment such as emergency generators is installed above ground, and additional waterproof doors have been added. During the Great East Japan Earthquake, the Fukushima plant suffered more from the subsequent tsunami flooding than the earthquake itself. Shin Hanul was designed with a fundamentally different philosophy after that incident.

Shin Hanul Units 1 and 2 are equipped with the Korean-style new nuclear reactor (APR1400) model. Its output is about 40% greater than previous reactors, and the design life has been extended from 40 to 60 years. Earthquake resistance has also been strengthened from 0.2g to 0.3g. This is the same model exported to the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the UAE.

The main control room (MCR), the heart of the nuclear plant, was surprisingly quiet. When the door opened, dozens of monitor lights illuminated the dark space. Large screens displayed real-time plant status, and operators watched the instruments and figures in near silence.

Operators work in three shifts to monitor the plant 24 hours a day. Since they cannot leave their posts for long, they even eat delivered lunch boxes at their stations. Analog panels remain alongside the digital control systems as backup in case of digital system failure. Hwang Minho, head of the main control room operations, said, "Operators remain on high alert throughout their shifts," and added, "Many say their hearts drop whenever they receive a call from the company after work."

When moving to the turbine building, the atmosphere changed completely. Roaring noise and intense heat filled the space. Heat generated in the reactor passes through the steam generator, turning into superheated, high-pressure steam, which spins the turbine blades about 1,800 times per minute. The generator connected to the turbine produces electricity.

The electricity being generated at this very moment is sent to industrial complexes, data centers, and semiconductor factories in the metropolitan area. Last year, Shin Hanul Unit 1 alone generated about 8,821 GWh of electricity, equivalent to about 18% of Seoul's annual power consumption.

The most unfamiliar area inside the plant was the spent nuclear fuel storage pool. Used nuclear fuel is stored in a massive pool filled with water (boric acid solution) in darkness. The water itself acts as a powerful radiation shield. The plant undergoes scheduled preventive maintenance about every 18 months, during which some spent fuel is moved to the storage pool and replaced with new fuel.

A panoramic view of the ShinHanul Units 3 and 4 construction site. Two APR1400-type nuclear reactors are being built on a site of approximately 410,000 pyeong in Buk-myeon, Uljin-gun, Gyeongbuk Province. As of the end of April 2026, the overall progress rate is 29.8%. Unit 3 (on the left) is undergoing major structural work, while Unit 4 is scheduled for concrete pouring in May. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP)

Stepping outside the plant, another vast construction site came into view—the Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 construction site. Cranes and heavy equipment worked nonstop across the sprawling grounds. On the 410,000-pyeong site, steel plate (CLP) installation was underway for the Unit 3 reactor building, while Unit 4 was in the midst of foundation concrete preparation.

As of the end of April 2026, the overall progress rate for Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4 stands at 29.8%. For Unit 3, the reactor building, turbine building, seawater intake facilities, and transmission systems were all being constructed simultaneously, forming the main framework. On the seaside, construction of an underwater intake tunnel to improve cooling efficiency was also in full swing. In contrast, Unit 4 was about a year behind. Preparations for the first concrete pouring were underway, with groundwork being carried out this month.

Despite hundreds of machines and thousands of workers operating in unison on site, the construction was surprisingly orderly. Safety signs and control lines were densely installed in each work section, and workers repeatedly underwent safety checks when moving from place to place. It was a unique sense of tension characteristic of nuclear power plant construction sites.

By the time Shin Hanul Unit 4 is completed in 2033, the cumulative workforce involved will reach about 7.2 million people, with a total project cost of 12.3 trillion won. Hwang Heejin, head of construction management, said, "This is not simply a project to build two power plants. It is a mega-industrial project that connects hundreds of companies, spanning steel, cement, mechanical and electrical equipment, cables, and control systems," and added, "Building a single nuclear power plant is similar to creating a small city."

Above all, the word heard most frequently on site was "safety." Nuclear power plants are an industry where even a single mistake cannot be tolerated. This is why safety and quality are considered even more important than construction speed.

In an era when power demand is surging due to the explosion of AI and data centers, the Shin Hanul Nuclear Power Plant has become more than just a power station—it is now a core infrastructure supporting South Korea's industry and energy security. The sound of the massive turbines spinning on the Uljin coast continues even now, like the heartbeat of the nation's industry.

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