In this study, the core dynamics of a PWR reactor is identified online by a recursive least-squares method. Based on the identified reactor model consisting of the control rod position and the core average coolant temperature, the future average coolant temperature is predicted. A model predictive control method is applied to designing an automatic controller for the thermal power control of PWR reactors. The basic concept of the model predictive control is to solve an optimization problem for a finite future at current time and to implement as the current control input only the first optimal control input among the solutions of the finite time steps. At the next time step, this procedure for solving the optimization problem is repeated. The objectives of the proposed model predictive controller are to minimize both the difference between the predicted core coolant temperature and the desired temperature, as well as minimizing the variation of the control rod positions. In addition, the objectives are subject to the maximum and minimum control rod positions as well as the maximum control rod speed. Therefore, a genetic algorithm that is appropriate for the accomplishment of multiple objectives is utilized in order to optimize the model predictive controller. A three-dimensional nuclear reactor analysis code, MASTER that was developed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) , is used to verify the proposed controller for a nuclear reactor. From the results of a numerical simulation that was carried out in order to verify the performance of the proposed controller with a $5\%/min$ ramp increase or decrease of a desired load and a $10\%$ step increase or decrease (which were design requirements), it was found that the nuclear power level controlled by the proposed controller could track the desired power level very well.