Korea aims for top 3 in exports of atomic plants

Korea will finalize by the year-end its blueprint to become one of the world’s three largest nuclear power plant exporters with the U.S. and France by 2030, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said Wednesday.

According to the roadmap dubbed “Nu-Tech-2030,” Korea aims to develop its own core technologies by the end of next year and achieve a market share of 20 percent in global nuclear power plant orders by 2030.

The country also plans to develop new technologies to enhance the safety of atomic power plants by 2017 and an innovative light-water reactor by 2022.

“If things proceed according to the roadmap, the safety of our nuclear power stations will be enhanced to about 100 times the level recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2022,” a ministry official said.

“By 2030, 935,000 new jobs will be created and the combined sales of small and medium companies will be increased to 16 trillion won.”

The ministry and the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. explained to some 400 nuclear experts Wednesday about its ongoing development of the three major core technologies related to nuclear power plants in addition to the Nu-Tech-2030.

The KHNP completed the development of the Man-Machine Interface System in June 2010 and plans to install it in the New Uljin Units 1 and 2, the construction of which is scheduled to be finished by 2013.

The state-funded company plans to develop key nuclear power plant design codes and a reactor coolant pump by the end of next year.

Based on the three technologies, the government seeks to obtain official authorization for the Advanced Power Reactor Plus, which has an operational life of 60 years, next year.

The development of the APR+, an upgraded version of the APR-1400 which was sold to the United Arab Emirates in 2009, means Korea can export atomic power plants without the help of foreign companies.

The APR+ can guarantee safety for at least three days even in cases of complete power outages like that of Japan’s tsunami-hit Fukushima Dai-ichi plant, according to the ministry.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)