New Start, New Standard
Overseas nuclear power plant business
Overseas nuclear power plant business
A/E and NSSS design services for the UAE nuclear power plant
The Barakah Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) Project, for which the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) signed a contract as main contractors, involves the construction of four 1,400MW APR1400 units, in the Barakah region, west of Abu Dhabi. KEPCO E&C has been leading the design of the UAE nuclear power plant, having secured the A/E contract in 2010, followed by the NSSS design contract. With Saewool Units 1 and 2 (formerly Shin-Kori Units 3 and 4), which adopt Korea's APR1400 reactor type, as the reference plant, we leveraged our technological expertise to carry out the nuclear power plant design. This incorporated advanced safety design features such as aircraft impact mitigation design and post-Fukushima accident response systems. As a result of these efforts, Units 1, 2, and 3 were completed in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively, and are currently in commercial operation, while Unit 4 is currently under construction and set to be completed in 2024.
Long-Term Engineering Services for the Operating Units of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant
Following the construction of the UAE nuclear power plant, engineering services such as NPP design improvement and technical support are being provided to ensure the stable operation of NPPs. KEPCO E&C has dispatched a specialized engineering team to the UAE, maintaining a close partnership with the clients and delivering optimized engineering solutions tailored to their specific needs.
ITER construction project
The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) development project is a large-scale international joint scientific and technological initiative aimed at scientifically demonstrating the feasibility of fusion energy as a future clean energy source. A fusion reactor is a device that induces nuclear fusion reactions in an ultra-high temperature plasma, where the temperature exceeds 100 million degrees Celsius -- conditions similar to those at the core of the sun -- generating a tremendous amount of energy. The ITER project is currently being developed in Cadarache, southern France, with the participation of seven countries: South Korea, the United States, Russia, the European Union, Japan, China, and India. KEPCO E&C has been actively involved in the ITER project since its official launch in 2007 and has been running a local branch in France to strengthen on-site support for the project. Since 2007, we have secured engineering and equipment supply projects worth approximately 140 billion KRW, including Construction Management-as-Agent (CMA) services, playing a key role as one of the most critical technical partners of the ITER Organization (IO).
Acquisition of the U.S. and European design certifications for the Korean standard nuclear power plant design
KEPCO E&C has obtained the design certifications required by nuclear power plant operators in the United States and Europe, demonstrating the excellence of Korea's nuclear power plant technology and enhancing its global reputation and export competitiveness. Design certification is a pre-approval process by regulatory authorities to ensure the safety and economic viability of a standard nuclear reactor design. The EU-APR, developed as the European export version of the APR1400, obtained the EUR (European Utility Requirements) certification in November 2017, and DC (Design Certification) from the U.S. NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) in August 2019. Furthermore, the APR1000 standard design -- a Korean medium-sized nuclear power plant model developed for export to the European market -- received the latest EUR Rev. E certification in March 2023. These design certifications are expected to enhance export competitiveness in overseas markets and lead to additional nuclear power plant exports following the UAE NPP project.
