- Import substitution benefits expected from localization of the core nuclear power plant technology

POSCO ICT (CEO, Hur Nam-suk) announced that it successfully completed development of safety-grade programmable logic controller (PLC) technology for nuclear power plants.

The PLC is a core system that manages the measurement control of nuclear power plants, together with the distributed control system (DCS). The PLC is able to stop a nuclear reactor safely by arresting the operation of the control rods in the event of a serious defect occurring in the power plant.

For the past seven years POSCO ICT has been participating in the national initiative to localize next- instrumentation equipment for generation nuclear power plants, managed by Korea Nuclear Instrumentation and Control System (KNICS), under the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, and has succeeded in localization on this occasion.

Until now, some foreign vendors like Westinghouse in Japan and Framatome in France have been the dominant suppliers of PLCs throughout the world. As POSCO ICT has successfully localized the production of PLCs, a good import substitution effect can be obtained, and entry into the overseas market looks feasible. In particular, POSCO ICT’s instrumentation and control technology is expected to enable a wide range of applications, as it can be applied to large-scale chemical plants, steel plants, and the aeronautics sector, as well as nuclear power plants.

For starters, POSCO ICT plans to work on supplying its PLCs to new nuclear power plants under construction and nuclear power plants in operation, and to the project to replace the PLCs currently in use in Korea. POSCO ICT expects significant import substitution effects. Furthermore, POSCO ICT will actively export the nuclear power plant, using related systems.