Korea Expanding Nuclear Power Plant Equipment Exports to Egypt, Romania

The procurement for the El Dabaa project in Egypt and the tritium removal facility (TRF) project in Romania, which were secured after the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, will begin in October. This will unlock a total of 104 items with a value of 800 billion won (US$603.77 million) in nuclear power plant equipment exports. Small and medium-sized nuclear power companies, which had been in dire straits due to the previous government’s anti-nuclear policy, can now breathe a sigh of relief.

On Aug. 29, the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) and the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (KHNP) held a “Nuclear Power Plant Equipment Export Integrated Briefing” at the KEPCO Art Center in Seoul, where they presented strategies to boost nuclear power plant equipment exports as well as the scale and procurement plans for these projects. The Egypt El Dabaa project, consisting of 81 items, is valued at 690 billion won, while the Romania TRF project, comprising 23 items, has a value of 110 billion won. More than 200 domestic nuclear power plant equipment and component companies participated in the briefing.

The MOTIE and KHNP plan to expedite the procurement of nuclear power plant equipment, aiming to swiftly supply large-scale export orders to the domestic nuclear power industry. This initiative is intended to provide sustenance for nuclear power companies that have been struggling since the nuclear power phase-out policy. They are set to commence equipment procurement for the Egypt El Dabaa project in October and the Romania TRF project in November. The goal is to conclude contracts within six months after procurement begins. This timeline includes one month for bidding announcements, two and half months for bid evaluation, one month for bidder selection, and one-and-a-half months for contract signing.