A new nuclear reactor designed by Korea Electric Power Corp and Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power has been given the green light to be certified by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The Advanced Power Reactor 1400, or APR1400, is designed to produce 1400 MW and features enhanced systems for safely shutting down the reactor in the case of an accident, according to the NRC statement.
Absent challenges, the rule will become effective 120 days following its publication in the Federal Register, the NRC announced this week.
“Full certification allows a utility to reference the design when applying for a combined license to build and operate a nuclear power plant,” the NRC announcement reads. “The NRC has certified five other designs: the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor, System 80+, AP600, AP1000, and the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor.”
NRC staff is currently reviewing applications for two other new nuclear reactor designs, including the NuScale small modular reactor and the US advanced pressurized water reactor developed by Mitsubishi.
Korea Electric Power and Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power submitted the design application to the NRC in December 2014. There is one APR1400 unit in operation at South Korea’s Kori plant and others under construction in that nation and the United Arab Emirates.
