The US Department of Energy (DOE) says the USA and South Korea have initialled a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Principles Concerning Nuclear Exports and Cooperation. The two countries “reaffirmed their mutual commitment to promoting the expansion of peaceful nuclear energy while upholding the highest standards of non-proliferation, safety, safeguards, and security”. To this end, they strengthened their administration of export controls on civil nuclear technology.
“These further commitments will provide a springboard for the expansion of our bilateral work in combatting climate change, accelerating global energy transitions, and assuring critical supply chains while creating billions of dollars worth of new economic opportunities and the creation or maintenance of tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs for both of our industries,” DOE noted. The MOU will now proceed to final review in both countries’ capitals.
This comes in the wake of a dispute between Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and Westinghouse Electric, which has launched a legal challenge against KHNP’s plans to export its APR1000 reactor to the Czech Republic and its APR1400 to Poland. The APR-1000 offered to the Czech Republic is based on the APR-1400, but modified to meet local demand, including a reduced capacity.
In July, the Czech government selected KHNP as the preferred bidder for the additional construction project of the Dukovany nuclear power plant, with plans to finalise the contract by March next year. However, Westinghouse and EDF, which lost in the bidding competition, filed objections with the Czech antitrust authorities. These objections were subsequently dismissed, allowing KHNP to maintain its position as the preferred bidder.
In October 2022, the Polish Ministry of State Assets, the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, ZE PAK, PGE and KHNP had signed a letter of intent for development of a NPP at ZE PAK’s Pątnów site in Poland using Korean APR1400 technology. This was followed by a MOU, signed by the ministries, to spare no effort to provide support for the Pątnów project.
Earlier, competition between Westinghouse and KHNP for the main contract to build a NPP in Poland had become contentious. KHNP had reportedly offered to build six APR1400 reactors with a capacity of 8.4GWe for $26.7bn. The Westinghouse offer was $31.3bn for six AP1000 reactors with a total capacity of 6.7GWe, while EDF’s bid for its EPR technology was for $33-48.5bn for four to six reactors. Polish media reported that KHNP had also proposed post-construction technology transfer to Poland and media speculation was that the contract would go to KHNP.
However, Westinghouse filed a lawsuit against KHNP and Korea Electric Power Corp (Kepco) in a US federal court to block them from selling reactors to Poland. Westinghouse said KHNP’s reactor design included intellectual property licensed by Westinghouse and required permission from Westinghouse before being transferred to Poland or any other countries considering deploying the APR1400 reactor. However, KHNP said it had gained competence in the design, production and construction of NPPs in order to finally develop its own, independent technology. “Korean nuclear technology is independent of Westinghouse technology and can be exported without restrictions and without the consent of the US,” it noted. This lawsuit is ongoing.
