Daewoo E&C, Doosan Enerbility, and others bring the power of K-Nuclear to Europe with 'Team Korea'

[KOREA FINANCIAL TIMES Jang Hosung] Team Korea, which includes KHNP(Korea Hydro&Newclear Power), KEPCO-E&C, KEPCO KPC, and KEPCO KPS, along with private companies Daewoo E&C and Doosan Enerbility, has been selected as the preferred bidder for the construction of two new nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic valued at KRW 24 trillion.

If all goes well, South Korea will be in charge of building the new reactors in the Czech Republic. It will be the second time in more than 15 years that South Korea has exported a nuclear power plant overseas after the Barakah NPP in the United Arab Emirates in 2009.

The Czech government officially announced that it has selected KHNP as the preferred bidder for the new nuclear power plant construction project in the country at a ministerial meeting on Nov. 17 (local time). As a result, KHNP has secured a position to negotiate exclusively with Dukovany II Nuclear Power Plant (EDU II), a subsidiary of the Czech Electricity Company (CEZ), the lead contractor, to sign the final contract. Having secured the preferred bidder status, KHNP plans to conclude the final contract by March 2025 through detailed negotiations with the owner.

The cost of the project will be determined in further negotiations between KHNPP and the Czech side, but the Czech government said at the briefing that it expects the preliminary project cost for the second unit to reach 400 billion koruna (KRW 24 trillion).

As the main contractor, Daewoo E&C will be responsible for the construction of various infrastructure at the nuclear power plant, as well as the building construction and equipment installation of the main facility.

President Paik Jung-wan personally led the sales effort, signing MOUs with local companies during the negotiations. In 2018, Daewoo E&C jointly won the Czech nuclear power plant order with KHNP, and since then, the company has been continuously networking and conducting local promotion activities in Prague.

In April, Daewoo E&C became the first company in the industry to obtain the 'Nuclear Supply Chain Quality Management System (ISO19443)' certificate from TÜV SÜD, a global certification organization in Europe, in connection with the new nuclear power plant order in the Czech Republic. This certification recognizes Daewoo E&C's enhanced safety and quality throughout the entire nuclear supply chain, and is expected to be of great help in the upcoming nuclear power plant order bidding process as major nuclear power plant operating countries in Europe are requiring this certification.

The company has already participated in the construction of several nuclear power plants in Korea, including Wolsung Units 3-4 and Shinwolsung Units 1-2, and exported a research reactor to Jordan.

Doosan Enerbility will supply the primary core cycle, including the reactor, steam generator, and cooling pumps, for the new nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic, while Doosan Enerbility's Czech subsidiary, Doosan Skoda Power, will supply the secondary core cycle, including the steam turbine.

Jang Hosung (hs6776@fntimes.com)