Daewoo E&C, which was selected as the lead contractor for construction of the new nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic, is drawing attention. Daewoo E&C is the only construction company in Korea that can provide total solutions across the nuclear lifecycle, including nuclear design, construction, maintenance, decommissioning, and spent fuel storage facilities, and as a member of "Team Korea," it is expected to secure a favorable position for winning additional nuclear construction contracts in the global market through participation in the Czech project.
◇ Nuclear business total solution holder
Starting with the main equipment construction for Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4 in 1991, Daewoo E&C has accumulated a track record and technological prowess by successfully carrying out more than 30 domestic and overseas nuclear projects over the past 35 years, including the main equipment construction for Shin-Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 and 2, the Phase 1 and 2 projects for radioactive waste disposal facilities, the Jordan research reactor, and the new research reactor for export in Gijang.
The Czech Republic is not the first place where Daewoo E&C has undertaken overseas nuclear projects. It was the first Korean construction company to provide construction technology consulting for Taiwan's Lungmen Nuclear Power Plant and China's Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant, and in Jordan it became the first Korean private corporation to export a research reactor.
Daewoo E&C also has unmatched performance and capabilities in constructing radioactive waste disposal facilities. It successfully built the Phase 1 project of the Wolseong low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste disposal facility in Gyeongju using a cave disposal method, and it is also serving as the lead contractor for the Phase 2 project using a near-surface disposal method. In addition, Daewoo E&C already has a track record for dry storage facilities that store spent nuclear fuel, which is high-level radioactive waste, within power plants.
Daewoo E&C successfully completed construction of Nuclear Fuel Plants No. 2 and 3 and process equipment for the Nuclear Fuel Plant No. 3 project, earning recognition for its construction capabilities in the nuclear fuel sector as well. As global demand for nuclear power increases, demand for nuclear fuel-related industries is also expected to grow naturally. Based on its construction experience, Daewoo E&C plans to actively expand into overseas markets.
◇ The first reactor export in Korea's history, the Jordan research reactor
On Dec. 3, 2009, before the export of the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Daewoo E&C became the first Korean private corporation to export a reactor overseas. The Jordan Research and Training Reactor Project (hereinafter JRTR) is a project commissioned by the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission to build a 5 MW (megawatt) research reactor and related facilities at Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) in Irbid, located 70 km north of Amman, the capital of Jordan.
The JRTR project began after the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI)-Daewoo E&C consortium signed an EPC contract with the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) in Mar. 2010, and work started in June of the same year. After the Fukushima nuclear accident in 2011, additional facilities such as a raw water storage tank and a post-accident air purification system were built to enhance safety, and training was completed to cultivate operating personnel.
JRTR has been used in many science and technology fields and has greatly contributed to raising Jordan's level of science and technology. It is used for basic research using neutrons, production of medical radioisotopes, neutron activation analysis, and semiconductor production. In addition, JRTR was designed so that if demand for reactor utilization increases in the future, experimental devices can be added in stages and the output can be doubled. A cold neutron experimental facility was also installed to significantly expand reactor utilization.
A research reactor follows the same entire process as a nuclear power plant, including construction, licensing, quality regulations, procedures, and responses to regulatory agencies. Through the Jordan research reactor project, Daewoo E&C acquired outstanding capabilities as the EPCC prime contractor to perfectly carry out construction, design, procurement, and commissioning of overseas nuclear utilization facilities, and based on this track record, it is currently building a new research reactor for export in Gijang, Busan.
◇ Zeroing in on future nuclear markets such as SMRs and decommissioning
Daewoo E&C is also working to expand into the SMR market, which is expected to reach 600 trillion won.
In '23, Daewoo E&C signed a business agreement with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power for the development of an innovative SMR, and in March this year it established a cooperative framework in the SMR sector with KEPCO KPS, which has unmatched technology in nuclear plant operation and maintenance. Daewoo E&C began investing in SMRs from the early stages of the SMART (System-Integrated Modular Advanced ReacTor) standard design certification project, and is pursuing technology development and investment in the innovative SMR (i-SMR) based on the SMART model.
Daewoo E&C is also moving ahead in the next-generation reactor market, which is expected to serve as a future energy source. It is participating with the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) in a national project to develop a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR), scheduled to run through the end of 2027. In this project, Daewoo E&C is responsible for radiation protection and radioactive waste system design and the spent nuclear fuel interim storage system design, working to secure future nuclear technologies with safety and sustainability.
It is also strengthening cooperation with domestic nuclear corporations KEPCO KPS and KEPCO NF. First, in March this year, it agreed with KEPCO KPS, which has overseen maintenance at domestic nuclear power plants, to jointly promote mutual cooperation in ▲ SMR design, construction, and operation ▲ domestic and overseas manufacturing, operation, and maintenance ▲ nuclear decommissioning. The global nuclear decommissioning market, mentioned as one of the cooperation areas, is estimated at more than 500 trillion won and is emerging as a new blue ocean for the construction industry.
Daewoo E&C is currently carrying out the "Wolseong Unit 1 decommissioning construction and process design," a project to design an optimal decommissioning process that accounts for cost-effective decommissioning design and the safe operation of shared facilities and the adjacent unit (Wolseong Unit 2). Notably, Wolseong Unit 1 is a CANDU (Canada Deuterium Uranium) reactor slated to become the first of its kind in the world to be decommissioned, and Daewoo E&C is expected to secure global competitiveness in the decommissioning market for heavy-water reactors through this project.
On the 28th of the same month, it signed an MOU with KEPCO NF for mutual cooperation in domestic and overseas nuclear projects and nuclear fuel businesses. In a nuclear fuel plant, uranium is processed into pellets, which are placed into fuel rods and bundled into an assembly to become fuel. The nuclear fuel thus produced is sent to domestic nuclear power plants for operation and is also exported to the UAE.
◇ Participation in construction of a large European nuclear plant for the first time in Korea through the new Czech project
As the lead contractor for construction in the Czech nuclear project, Daewoo E&C is participating as a member of Team Korea alongside Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, KEPCO E&C, Korea Nuclear Fuel, KEPCO KPS, and Doosan Enerbility, and in June this year the main equipment construction contract for Dukovany Units 5 and 6 was finalized between CEZ (Czech power utility) and KHNP.
In the meantime, Daewoo E&C has continued cooperation with about 600 Czech local corporations, including by hosting the Korea-Czech nuclear construction forum in the country, and has contributed to the success of the project by conducting detailed outreach to key figures in the Dukovany region where the plant will be built. In particular, in September last year, Daewoo E&C Chairman Jung Won-ju personally visited the Czech Republic and donated a fire truck to Náměšť nad Oslavou, near the construction site, showing strong interest in local social contribution activities.
Team Korea's win in the Czech nuclear project is significant in that the superior technology and price competitiveness of the Korean reactor model have been recognized on the global stage, and Korea has further solidified its position in the global nuclear construction market through this award.
Leveraging the Czech nuclear project, Daewoo E&C is moving in earnest to enter the global large-scale nuclear market and is preparing to bid for large nuclear projects not only in Europe but also in the United States, the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), the Middle East, and Asia by expanding cooperation with KHNP and KEPCO, Korea's domestic nuclear operators, as well as with numerous overseas nuclear corporations.
A Daewoo E&C official said, "Daewoo E&C is the only construction company in Korea with a diverse track record in nuclear-related projects, including large nuclear plants, research reactors, radioactive waste disposal facilities, and performance improvement projects for operating plants," adding, "based on our top-tier technological capabilities, we will successfully carry out the new Czech nuclear project and prove the excellence of Daewoo E&C's nuclear business on the global stage."