S. Korea plans to build 2 nuclear power reactors by 2014 - paper

TOKYO, September 13 (RIA Novosti) - South Korea will build two new nuclear power units equipped with light-water reactors constructed using its own designs by 2014, a national newspaper said Thursday.

The Chosun Ilbo newspaper said the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (MOCIE) had approved an application by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to construct Kori Nuclear Power Plant Units Three and Four.

The units will use for the first time Korean-designed APR1400 light-weight reactors with a capacity of 1,400 megawatts, 40% more powerful and 10% cheaper to operate than the current OPR1000 reactors.

The newspaper said KHNP would start work this month at the Kori NPP near the city of Ulsan, in the southeast of the country, with the goal of finishing Unit Three by 2013 and Unit Four by 2014. The reactors will also be capable of withstanding earthquakes measuring 7 on the Richter scale.

South Korea's first commercial nuclear reactor began operating in 1977. At present, 24 reactors produce about 40% of the country's electricity.