Korea offers six reactors to Poland

Monday, 25 April 2022

The KHNP delegation was led by CEO Jeong Jae-hoon with support from head of business development Yoosik Nam. Their offer provided for "the construction of six APR1400 reactors with a total capacity of 8.4 GW, the first of which could start operating in accordance with the schedule adopted in the Polish Nuclear Power Programme, i.e. in 2033," said the Polish Ministry for Climate and Energy.

Jeong carried a letter from the Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, Moon Seung-wook, which "conveyed the full support of the Korean government" for the offer. They were received by Polish Deputy Minister for Climate and Environment Adam Guibourgé-Czetwertyński and the country's Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure, Piotr Naimski.

The Polish government noted that three nuclear vendors had expressed interest in the country's programme: USA-based Westinghouse, France's EDF and KHNP of South Korea. As well as the Korean offer just received, it already has an offer from EDF based on the EPR2 reactor design and Westinghouse has until September this year to submit its offer, which will be based on the AP1000.

Poland's nuclear programme foresees six reactors of between 1 GWe and 1.5 GWe with the first starting up in 2033 and subsequent ones coming every two years. They would replace the coal-fired power stations that provide as much as 73% of electricity. The first large power plant will be in the north on Poland's Baltic coast and an environmental impact assessment for that was submitted to regulators at the end of March.

The APR-1400 is an evolutionary pressurised water reactor with its origins in the CE System 80+ model. Principally designed by Korea Engineering Company, it produces 1400 MWe and has a 60-year design life. It supersedes the standardised 995 MWe OPR-1000 design, of which South Korea built 12.

The first two APR-1400 units - Shin Kori 3 and 4 - entered commercial operation in December 2016 and September 2019, respectively. Construction of two further APR-1400s as Shin Kori units 5 and 6 began in April 2017 and September 2018. These are scheduled to be commissioned in March 2023 and June 2024.

Four APR-1400s have also been built at Barakah in the United Arab Emirates. The first two of these units were connected to the grid in August 2020 and September 2021, respectively.