Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power said on the 16th that it has completed the domestic development of motors for reactor coolant pumps and will begin actual application to domestic standard nuclear power plants starting next year.
A reactor coolant pump motor circulates the coolant in the reactor system to transfer heat, and is one of the key facilities crucial to nuclear plant operations.
KHNP jointly pursued domestic development with HD Hyundai Electric. After succeeding in developing a prototype last year, it completed development of the finished goods for full domestic production this time through performance verification and reliability testing.
A total of 48 motors for standard nuclear reactor coolant pumps are currently in operation. Until now, they have relied entirely on imports, but with this domestic production, each unit is expected to replace 5.5 billion won in imports going forward. It is also expected to contribute to expanding the domestic production of related parts and strengthening the competitiveness of the domestic supply chain.
KHNP's Engineering Department and Central Research Institute said, "We have successfully completed the development of the finished goods for domestic production, and preparations for application to actual power plants are complete," and added, "We will strengthen capabilities across the entire industrial ecosystem through cooperation with domestic suppliers and develop this into domestic core technology that can compete in the global market."