South Korea's NSSC Receives i-SMR Reactor Design Approval Request from KHNP and KAERI
The South Korean Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) has received a request for approval of the Innovative Small Modular Reactor (i-SMR) design from the i-SMR Technology Development Project Group. The i-SMR, developed by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), is a 170 MW integral pressurized water reactor intended for domestic use and export. Approval is expected by 2028. KHNP has also signed an MoU with Daegu for a 680 MW small modular reactor plant planned for operation in 2033.

The South Korean NSSC has received a request to approve the reference design of the Innovative Small Modular Reactor (i-SMR) from the i-SMR Technology Development Project Group, led by KHNP and KAERI. The i-SMR, a 170 MW integral pressurized water reactor, aims for both domestic deployment and export.
Approval is anticipated by 2028, and KHNP has stated that constructing this reactor type will incur about one-third of the investment costs and take half the time compared to large nuclear units. In June 2024, KHNP signed an MoU with Daegu Metropolitan City for a 680 MW i-SMR plant, set for commercial operation in 2033. KHNP presented the i-SMR technology at COP28 in December 2023 and signed collaboration agreements with Indonesia, Jordan, Norway, Sweden, and Zimbabwe for further assessments.




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