South Korea now creating nuclear reactors with own technology

South Korea started construction on two new nuclear reactors with locally made components for all critical systems.

The ministry in charge of the country's industrial and energy policy said that following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan last year, special safety measures have been incorporated into the design.

President Lee Myung-bak said that the country finally realized the dream of building atomic reactors without relying on foreign technology in just 40 years.

The reactors, to be built at the Uljin power plant in North Gyeongsang Province, will be based on the Advanced Power Reactor design that can generate 1,400 megawatts of electricity, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said.

"The reactors mark a turning point for South Korea's commercial nuclear energy program because no foreign-made parts are used in the most important areas," it said.

Both the man-machine interface system that helps run the power generation unit and the reactor coolant pumps were designed and manufactured in the country. In the past, such systems were imported or based on foreign design, the ministry said.

Korea has set aside US$6.18 billion to build the New Uljin 1 and 2 reactors.

Construction of the New Uljin 1 unit is expected to be completed around April 2017, while the second unit will be built by late February 2018.

South Korea currently has 21 commercial reactors and has plans to build 12 new reactors by 2022 in an effort to reduce the country's dependence on crude oil, natural gas and coal.

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