The US nuclear regulator has accepted for review an application to certify Korean-designed APR1400 reactor for use in the United States.
The US nuclear regulator has accepted for review an application to certify Korean-designed APR1400 reactor for use in the United States.
Korea Electric Power Corporation and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power first submitted an APR1400 design certification application to the NRC in September 2013, but the regulator did not accept it as it contained insufficient information in some areas.
A revised application was submitted on 23 December 2014, which regulatory staff concluded is "complete enough for a full design certification review." The NRC is expected to provide a schedule for the application review in the near future.
KEPCO E&C will provide complementary design and licensing support for the APR1400 design certification process until October 2017, under a $47 million contract.
The APR1400 is a 1400MWe-class pressurised water reactor, which is based on the Westinghouse System 80+ design that was certified by the NRC in 1997. The lead APR1400 reactor is under construction at Shin Kori 3 in Korea. Kepco is supplying four APR1400 reactors for the Barakah nuclear plant in the United Arab Emirates.
Photo: The APR1400 reactor (Source: Kepco)