KHNP Signs 2.8 Trillion KRW Contract for Romanian Nuclear Power Plant Equipment Upgrade Project

First Case of Continued Operation Participation in Overseas Nuclear Power Plants
30 More Years of Use After Replacing Aging Equipment

Romania Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant (Unit 1 on the right). Provided by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), Canadian Candu Energy, and Italian Ansaldo Nucleare consortium have won the contract for the equipment improvement project of Unit 1 at the Cernavod? Nuclear Power Plant in Romania. This project marks the first case of a K-Nuclear Power Plant participating in an overseas nuclear power plant life extension project.

The KHNP consortium and Romania Nuclear Energy National Company (SNN) signed the contract for the "Cernavod? Unit 1 Equipment Improvement Project" on the 19th (local time) in Bucharest, the capital of Romania.

This project aims to extend the operating license period of Cernavod? Unit 1, a CANDU-type heavy water reactor identical to the Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant, by an additional 30 years.

Cernavod? Unit 1 began commercial operation in 1996, and its operating license is set to expire in 2027. Accordingly, Romania Nuclear Energy National Company is promoting equipment improvement projects, including the replacement of aging equipment, targeting continued operation until 2030. The total project scale is approximately 2.8 trillion KRW, of which KHNP's share is 1.2 trillion KRW.

For this project commissioned by Romania Nuclear Energy National Company, KHNP formed a consortium with Candu Energy and Ansaldo Nucleare to participate as the main contractor. The project period is planned to start construction in February next year and carry out equipment improvements over approximately 65 months.

In this project, Candu Energy, the original supplier of Cernavod? Unit 1, is responsible for the design and procurement of reactor systems, while Ansaldo Nucleare handles the design and procurement of turbine generator systems. KHNP is in charge of overall construction management, including the replacement of main equipment and the construction of key infrastructure facilities such as radioactive waste storage facilities. KHNP's partners, including KEPCO KPS, Doosan Enerbility, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, and Samsung C&T, are expected to participate in construction and building works.

Hwang Ju-ho, President of KHNP, stated, "This contract award is a case where KHNP's over 50 years of accumulated operation and maintenance technology has been recognized once again in the global nuclear power market," adding, "Through the successful equipment improvement of the Cernavod? Nuclear Power Plant, we will strengthen KHNP's global position."

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy explained, "With this contract, our nuclear power companies are participating in overseas nuclear power plant life extension projects for the first time," and added, "Through this, it is expected that the export methods of nuclear power plants will diversify into heavy water reactor equipment and construction exports and life extension projects in the future."

Meanwhile, South Korea has experience operating heavy water reactors at Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 to 4. Among them, Wolsong Unit 1, the first domestic heavy water reactor, began commercial operation in April 1983 and was shut down in November 2012 due to the expiration of its design life. It received approval for a 10-year life extension until 2022 but was prematurely closed on December 24, 2019, due to lack of economic feasibility.