KHNP Exports High-Level Radioactive
Waste Treatment Tech to U.S.

A contract amounting $70,000 was inked with Washington Savanna River Company

Korea's high level radioactive waste processing technology will be exported to USA. KHNP(president: Kim Jong-shin ) announced on July 5th that a technology contract amounting U$70,000.00 for high level radioactive waste processing had been executed with Washington Savannah River Company(WSRC) and it had been approved by US Department of Energy(DOE).
The contract is for the project to replace the high level radio active fluid waste vitrification facility under operation by WSRC located in Savannah, South Carolina with the 'induction heating low temperature melting furnace' method possessed by KHNP. KHNP will study and provide major design values for WSRC in its vitrification testing facility for 7 months from now.
The vitrification technology is to confine hazardous materials such as heavy metals and radioactive waste in glass structures to isolate them permanently in order to prevent them from being exposed to environments.
If the 'induction heating low temperature melting furnace' technology of KHNP is introduced to the processing of high level radioactive waste, the waste processing speed will be doubled.
KHNP related that by executing the contract after competitions with Ferro in USA, Areva in France, Radon in Russia etc., KHNP made the reliability of the high level radioactive waste vitrification technology of Korea to be recognized by experts across the world and thereby provided the opportunity to establish a foothold for its advancement into USA.
Unlike the ceramic melting furnace method used by WARC, the 'induction heating low temperature melting furnace' method being operated by KHNP does not use metal electrodes thus it has no problem of electrode corrosion also it is a technology that can extend the life time of melting furnaces as it uses water cooling metal grids on internal walls of glass melting furnaces instead of ceramic materials enabling to fundamentally prevent the corrosion of furnace bodies.
It is known that WSRC originally planned to complete the processing of high level radioactive waste by 2028 using their own vitrification facility but later judged that its original schedule could not be met with their current technology and thus decided to introduce the technology of KHNP.
KHNP has developed the medium & low level radioactive waste vitrification technology since 1994 through its subsidiary research institute-Nuclear Engineering & Technology Institute (President; Noh Myeong-seop) for the first time in the world and performed verification tests in Daedeok Complex for 4 years from 1999 is constructing a vitrification facility in Ulchin Nuclear Power Plant aiming at commercial operation in 2008.
Bracing for Peak Power Demand for Summer
-Maximum power supply capacity will be secured for summer
With the expectation that the power demand in coming summer will reach at the highest level in history, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Company Limited recently completed special inspections on nuclear power plants and began the management of summer power supply.
KHNP announced that in order to secure maximum power supply capacities in coming summer, it first adjusted the servicing period originally planned in August to June for Yonggwang unit#6 and Kori unit#4 and to September for Yonggwang unit#1. It related that through that arrangement, 15,714 thousand kW of electric power is planned to be supplied during July 19~26 and 17,664 thousand kW during August 6~17 when maximum power demands are expected.
KHNP also related last 20th that the servicing for 25 hydro power production facilities in total including before the fact inspections of water gate facilities in hydro power plants and lifting equipment etc had been completed early. Also, it will operate emergency status rooms to be prepared for power demands. KHNP is currently responsible for 40% of total power production in the country through its hydro power plants and nuclear power plants.
Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy forecasts that the peak power demand in coming summer will exceed 60 million kW for the first time in history and supply reserve ratio will come down to 9.8%, the first one digit value in 10years.
With regards to the stops of Yonggwang unit#2 and Ulchin unit#4 on 21st, KHNP announced that both of the two units had experienced trifle disorders and there was no safety problem and would resume normal operation in 1-2 days. Even with the stops, power reserve ratio is being maintained at 12% compared to 17% of previous day. With regards to the supply reserve ratio, a person in KHNP related said it will be recovered to 17% or higher by next week. nw

KHNP President-CEO Kim Jong-shin attends the World Nuclear Fuel Market (WNFM) during his visit to Greece and France June 3-10. He signed an agreement on enrichment service of uranium with URENO of the UK and AREVA of France.

A view of DWPF, the high level commercial vitrification facility under operation by WSRC.

KHNP completed special inspections to be prepared for power supply in summer.