한국전력기술

KEPCO E&C entered into a contract for the A/E services of the Pre-Project Engineering (PPE) of a SMART (System-integrated Modular Advanced ReacTor) nuclear plant with the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute on June 9.

This project, which results from the detailed design agreement for the Pre-Project Engineering of the SMART nuclear plant concluded between Korea and Saudi Arabia in September 2015, will be executed over a period of about 30 months until November 2018.

   
PPE is a design stage in which the basic design and a part of the detailed design are performed, followed by the full-scale detailed design and construction, after the verification of permits and approval of the project and economic efficiency, etc.

According to the provisions of the contract, KEPCO E&C will implement a complete passive safety system, perform the general design work of the auxiliary equipment so as to reflect the optimal design of systems and structures, prepare the preliminary safety analysis report, and prepare simplified technical specifications for the major equipment, etc.

The winning of the project is also significant in that an opportunity for the initial commercialization of small and medium-sized nuclear plants has been secured at a time when the need for nuclear power plants has again come under the spotlight due to the international obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions following the Paris Agreement, which in turn is expected to increase the demand for small-sized nuclear power plants.

In addition, a new breakthrough - in which nuclear power plants will become an export product through entry into other countries, including the two units bound for Saudi Arabia - is expected to be made. 

Furthermore, KEPCO E&C is expected to build a full portfolio of nuclear power plants incuding the 1400MW class UAE nuclear plant, the export of a nuclear reactor for research purposes to Jordan, and small- and medium-size SMART nuclear plants.

KEPCO E&C has been playing a pivotal role in the technological development of Korea’s nuclear plant industry, including the design of large-scale nuclear plants such as the OPR1000 and APR1400, etc.

At the contract conclusion ceremony, Jo Jik-rae, the Executive Senior Vice President of the Nuclear Division, announced that KEPCO E&C would focus all of its capabilities on further improving the economic efficiency and safety of the SMART nuclear plant and on securing customized nuclear technology that meets the diverse demands of various countries.