[비즈한국] The role of nuclear reactors is expanding beyond electricity generation to supplying heat for industrial processes. With China recently launching a project to integrate the world's first fourth-generation High-Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR) with a large-scale industrial complex, it appears to be gaining a head start in the decarbonization race for energy-intensive industries such as petrochemicals and steel. Conversely, South Korea has only just entered the public-private cooperation stage and must play catch-up.
China Begins Construction of World's First Industrial HTGR
On January 16, the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) began concrete pouring for the 'Xuwei Nuclear Heating Plant' in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province. This project is a hybrid form combining two units of 'Hualong One,' a third-generation pressurized water reactor independently designed by China, and one fourth-generation HTGR. It will be the world's first nuclear power plant to combine a pressurized water reactor with an HTGR, and the first instance of fourth-generation reactor technology being utilized for industrial commercialization.
The core of this project is to convert heat generated at the nuclear plant directly into industrial steam to supply the nearby Xuwei Petrochemical Complex. The Hualong One generates heat to create primary steam, which is then reheated by the HTGR to produce ultra-high-temperature steam of over 700 degrees Celsius. Upon completion, it will simultaneously produce 32.5 million tons of industrial steam and over 11.5 billion kWh of electricity annually. CNNC stated that this will have the effect of reducing coal consumption by 7.26 million tons and suppressing carbon dioxide emissions by 19.6 million tons per year.
A New Heat Source for Petrochemicals and Steel
The HTGR is a next-generation reactor that uses helium gas instead of water as a coolant and graphite as a moderator. The petrochemical and steel industries use massive amounts of thermal energy in their manufacturing processes. However, conventional reactors have had limited utility because the steam temperatures they can produce are relatively low. The HTGR is highly valuable as an industrial heat source because it can achieve ultra-high temperatures ranging from 700 to 950 degrees Celsius.
In the petrochemical industry, this heat is mainly used for the Naphtha Cracking Center (NCC) process. Cracking naphtha to obtain ethylene, propylene, and other materials requires high temperatures of over 800 degrees; if an HTGR supplies this heat, the carbon generated during the process can be eliminated at the source. At a 'Seminar on HTGR Utilization for the Revitalization of the Petrochemical Industry' hosted by Democratic Party lawmaker Joo Cheol-hyun at the Yeosu Chamber of Commerce and Industry on January 28, Park In-chul, an executive at Lotte Chemical011170, stated, "Currently, energy costs account for about 20% of our sales revenue." The petrochemical industry expects that if this heat source can be replaced by an HTGR, it could improve process economics alongside carbon reduction.
It is also highly useful in the steel industry. 'Hydrogen Reduction Steelmaking (HyREX),' considered the core of carbon neutrality, uses hydrogen instead of bituminous coal as a reducing agent. For hydrogen to react with iron ore, a high-temperature state of over 800 degrees must be maintained, and the heat from an HTGR is also essential in the process of producing large amounts of clean hydrogen through the thermochemical decomposition of water.
POSCO E&C stated, "Considering the conditions for expanding domestic renewable energy and the possibility of importing hydrogen from overseas, we believe a strategy that runs parallel with nuclear power is a realistic alternative." They added, "We evaluate the HTGR as a technology applicable to stable mass production of clean hydrogen through high-temperature water electrolysis and ammonia cracking, as it can simultaneously utilize high-temperature heat of over 750 degrees and carbon-free electricity."
The reason an HTGR can be constructed near an industrial complex lies in its overwhelming safety compared to previous generations of reactors. 'TRISO' (tri-structural isotropic) fuel, the coated particle nuclear fuel used in HTGRs, uses a triple-layer ceramic coating that perfectly traps radioactive materials even in extreme situations exceeding 1600 degrees Celsius.
Furthermore, helium, the coolant, is a chemically inert gas, posing no risk of explosion. Even if cooling functions are lost due to an accident, the temperature rises very slowly thanks to the high heat capacity of the graphite moderator. Even in the event of an accident, it naturally cools through heat radiation or thermal conduction in the air without needing separate cooling devices or power, making the risk of a core meltdown effectively non-existent. Due to this high level of safety, it is considered an optimized reactor for construction near industrial complexes to deliver heat directly.
South Korea Has a Long Way to Go
Unlike China, which has entered the commercialization stage, South Korea is still in the early research and development phase. Since 2024, the Ministry of Science and ICT has initiated HTGR development with the participation of private companies, including the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), POSCO E&C, Daewoo E&C047040, Smart Power, SK Ecoplant, and Lotte Chemical. Basic design work began in January, and the plan is to proceed with the construction and operation of a demonstration reactor following a preliminary feasibility study.
Lotte Chemical stated, "The HTGR is currently in the early stages of R&D," adding, "We are reviewing ways to utilize it for carbon reduction by replacing the heat sources used in our processes."
South Korea's HTGR development aims for demonstration and commercialization by the mid-2030s. A petrochemical industry official said, "China has already begun construction, and the U.S. X-energy consortium has also applied for a permit to install an HTGR at a Dow Chemical plant," noting, "South Korea is lagging behind and needs to speed things up."