Veolia to provide water treatment services to South Korea's largest nuclear power plant

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), the world's fifth largest nuclear power company, has chosen Veolia to treat the water used to supply Kori Division’s eight reactors.

 

The Kori Division nuclear power plant located in southeast South Korea, near Busan, the country's second largest city after Seoul, produces 34% of the country's nuclear capacity (7,900 MW) which is the equivalent to the energy consumption of eight million people.

Veolia is now in charge of treating all of the plant's feed water: treatment of fresh water for steam production, sea water, via an electrochlorination process [see box], for the cooling system and wastewater, except that containing radioactive contaminants. 


 

KHNP’s choice of Veolia is based on our expertise in the treatment of water in nuclear plants and our expertise in security issues demonstrated through major contracts we have in France and Japan. This new contract reinforces our position in this growth market
Régis Calmels
Senior Executive Vice President Asia for Veolia

Industrial electrochlorination uses electrolysis: a chemical reaction is produced by passing a direct current between two electrodes immersed in sea water. This both limits the formation of scale on the plant's heat exchangers by bacteria and living organisms (algae) and reduces corrosion, related to water circulation speed, on the facilities.
 

73 employees onsite

173,000 m3 of water and wastewater treated every day

which is equivalent to 55 olympic swimming pools