Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP; ) is a subsidiary of the

Korea Electric Power Corporation Korea Electric Power Corporation, better known as KEPCO () or Hanjeon (), is the largest electric utility in South Korea, responsible for the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and the development of electric power projec ...

(KEPCO). It operates large

nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: *Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics * Nuclear space *Nuclear ...

and

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

plants in South Korea, which are responsible for about 31.56 percent of the country's electric power. In December 2020, KHNP operated 24 nuclear power plants, 37 hydroelectric plants, 16 pumped-storage power plants, and 32 renewable power plants. Its total facility capacity was 28,607 MW, with a total generation capacity of 164,613 GWh.

History

KHNP was established in 2001 as part of a general restructuring at KEPCO, which opened its first nuclear plant at Kori in

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

in 1977. Commercial operation at Kori nuclear #1 began in 1978.

Timeline

Before separation from KEPCO: *1978: Commercial operation of Kori 1 began. *1983: Commercial operation of Wolsong 1 and Kori 2 began. *1985: Commercial operation of Kori 3 began. *1986: Commercial operation of Kori 4 and Hanbit 1 began. *1987: Commercial operation of Hanbit 2 began. *1988: Commercial operation of Hanul 1 began. *1989: Commercial operation of Hanul 2 began. *1995: Commercial operation of Hanbit 3 began. *1996: Commercial operation of Hanbit 4 began. *1997: Commercial operation of Wolsong 2 began. *1998: Commercial operation of Wolsong 3 and Hanul 3 (Korea’s first nuclear power plant) began. *1999: Commercial operation of Hanul 4 and Wolsong 4 began. *2001: KHNP began. After separation from KEPCO: *2002: Commercial operation of Hanbit 5 and 6;

APR-1400 The APR-1400 (for Advanced Power Reactor 1400 Megawatt, MW electricity) is an advanced Pressurized water reactor, pressurized water nuclear reactor designed by the Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). Originally known as the Korean Ne ...

reactor was developed. *2005: Completion of Hanul 5 and 6 and the renewable-energy Kori Wind Power Plant and Yeonggwang Solar Park *2007: Continued operation of Kori 1 approved. *2010: Shin-Kori 3 reactor (first APR-1400 application) installed. *2011: Commercial operation of Shin-Kori 1 reactor (first OPR1000 application) began. *2012: Commercial operation of Shin-Kori 2 and Shin-Wolsong 1 began. *2013: First Korean-technology safety analysis of a

heavy water Heavy water (deuterium oxide, , ) is a form of water (molecule), water in which hydrogen atoms are all deuterium ( or D, also known as ''heavy hydrogen'') rather than the common hydrogen-1 isotope (, also called ''protium'') that makes up most o ...

reactor licensed. *2014: Korean APR+ nuclear power plant stand design approved. *2015: Continued operation of Wolsong 1 approved; commercial operation of Shin-Wolsong 2 began. *2016: Head office moved to Gyeongju; commercial operation of Shin-Kori 3 (first APR-1400 application) began. *2017: Completed Noeul Fuel Cell and Kori Photovoltaic Power Plant; retired Kori 1. *2018: Chameliya Khola Hydropower Station in Nepal completed. *2019:

Photovoltaic power station A photovoltaic power station, also known as a solar park, solar farm, or solar power plant, is a large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power system (PV system) designed for the supply of merchant power. They are different from most building ...

at the Samnangjin Pumped-Storage Power Plant completed; commercial operation of Shin-kori 4 began.

Operations

The company operates internationally, with offices in New York, Washington, Paris, Tokyo and Prague. The current CEO is Chung Jaehoon (). In 2020, the company had 12,551 employees and revenue of trillion (about billion). Its international credit ratings are Aa2 stable/AA stable/AA- stable (Moody's/S&P/Fitch). The chief executive officer is Whang Joo-ho, who began his three-year term in 2022.

Power plants

Nuclear sites: * Kori site in Jangan-eup, Gijang-gun,

* Hanul site (formerly Ulchin) in Buk-myeon, Uljin-gun,

Gyeongsangbuk-do North Gyeongsang Province (, ) is a province in eastern South Korea, and with an area of , it is the largest province in the Korean peninsula. The province was formed in 1896 from the northern half of the former Gyeongsang province, and remaine ...

* Wolseong site in Yangnam-myeon,

Gyeongju Gyeongju (, ), historically known as Seorabeol (, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, covering with a population of ...

. * Hanbit site (formerly Yonggwang) in Hongnong-eup,

Yeonggwang County Yeonggwang County (''Yeonggwang-gun'') is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Speciality Yeonggwang is a large producer of a fish, the Larimichthys polyactis, small yellow croaker which are so ...

Jeollanam-do South Jeolla Province (), formerly South Chŏlla Province, also known as Jeonnam (), is a province in the Honam region, South Korea, and the southernmost province in mainland Korea. South Jeolla borders the provinces of North Jeolla to the nor ...

Hydroelectric sites: *

Hwacheon Dam Hwacheon Dam () is a concrete gravity dam on the North Han River (Korea), Han (Pukhan) River in Hwacheon County, Gangwon-do (South Korea), Gangwon-do Province, South Korea. The dam was completed in 1944 as a primary source of electricity in sout ...

in Gandong-myeon,

Hwacheon County Hwacheon County () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in Gangwon-do (South Korea), Gangwon Province, South Korea. The northern border is, in some places, within nine kilometres of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Neighboring counti ...

, Gangwon-do *Paldang site in Joan-myeon,

Namyangju Namyangju (; ) is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. To the east is Gapyeong County, to the west is Guri, and to the north is Pocheon. Namyangju was originally a southern part of Yangju-gun, but was separated into Namyangju-gun in April ...

Gyeonggi-do Gyeonggi Province (, ) is the most populous administrative divisions of South Korea, province in South Korea. Seoul, the nation's largest city and capital, is in the heart of the area but has been separately administered as a list of provinc ...

*Cheongpyong site in Oeseo-myeon,

Gapyeong County Gapyeong County (), alternatively Kapyong County, is a county in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It was the scene of the Battle of Kapyong, a major battle of the Korean War. Administrative Region and Language Gapyeong County has one eup and ...

, Gyeonggi-do * Uiam Dam in Sindong-myeon,

Chuncheon Chuncheon (; ; literally ''spring river''), formerly romanized as Ch'unch'ŏn, is the capital of Gangwon Province, South Korea. The city lies in the north of the country, located in a basin formed by the Soyang River and Han River (Korea), Han R ...

, Gangwon-do *Chuncheon site in Sinbuk-eup, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do *Boseonggang site in Deungnyang-myeon,

Boseong County Boseong County (''Boseong-gun'') is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. Boseong is famous for its green tea leaves, with 26.71 hectares of land dedicated to its production. It is also the bi ...

*Seomjingang site in Chilbo-myeon,

Jeongeup Jeongeup (; ), is a city in North Jeolla Province, South Korea. The city limits include Naejang-san National Park, a popular destination particularly in autumn due to its foliage. Jeongeup is on the Honam Expressway and Honam Line, with the ...

Jeollabuk-do North Jeolla Province, officially Jeonbuk State (), is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, Special Self-governing Province of South Korea in the Honam region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. Jeonbuk borders the provinces of Sout ...

*Goesan site in Chilseong-myeon,

Goesan County Goesan County () is a county in North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. Demographics As of 2021, Goesan-gun has a population of about 40,000 people. The area has been affected strongly by the graying of the South Korean population, and more th ...

Chungcheongbuk-do North Chungcheong Province (), also known as Chungbuk, is a province of South Korea. North Chungcheong has a population of 1,578,934 (2014) and has a geographic area of located in the Hoseo region on the south-centre of the Korean Peninsula. No ...

*Gangneung site, Seongsan-myeon,

Gangneung Gangneung (; ) is a list of cities in South Korea, municipal city in Gangwon, South Korea, Gangwon province, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 213,658 (as of 2017).Gangneung City (2003)Population & Households. Retrieved Ja ...

, Gangwon-do Renewable-energy sites: *Hanbit Solar Park 1, 2 (3 MW), at the Hanbit site *Kori Wind Power (0.75 MW), at the Kori site *Hanbit Solar Park 3 (11 MW), at the Hanbit site *Yecheon Solar Power Plant (2 MW), in the Yecheon pumped-storage power plant *Kori Solar Power Plant (5 MW), at the Kori site *KHNP's Farming Solar Power Plant (73 kW), at the Cheongpyeong Hydropower Station *Gyeonggi Fuel Cell Power Plant (58.8 MW), Gveonggi-do, Hwaseong-si *Noeul Fuel Cell Power Plant (20 MW), in World Cup Park, Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul *Busan Fuel Cell Power Plant (30.8 MW), in a group cogeneration complex in Haeundae-gu, Busan

Barakah nuclear power plant

On December 27, 2009,

Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation The Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC, مؤسسة الإمارات للطاقة النووية) is the entity responsible for the deployment and ownership of Nuclear power plant, nuclear energy plants in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ENEC w ...

(ENEC) and KEPCO agreed to build four 1400

MWe The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named in honor o ...

Korean (

) nuclear power units in Barakah,

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. KEPCO carried out the project in partnership with KHNP,

KEPCO E&C KEPCO E&C (full name: KEPCO Engineering & Construction Company, INC., formerly: KOPEC) is a power plant design and engineering company in South Korea. It was established in 1975 as a public enterprise. KEPCO E&C engages in designing, engineering, ...

, KEPCO NF, Hyundai E&C, and Samsung C&T. In accordance with its joint project management agreement with KEPCO, KHNP provided manpower and technical support for construction management, in addition to training and licensing support. KHNP sent skilled nuclear-power-plant operating personnel and provided services requested by ENEC under an operating support services agreement until the agreement ended on July 20, 2016. KHNP will continue to assign an average of 200 operators and engineers to the BNPP annually and provide requested services for 10 years after the completion of BNPP Unit 4. A consortium of KHNP and Korea Electric Power Corporation Plant Service & Engineering Co. (KEPCO KPS) signed a five-year maintenance contract for the BNPP in June 2019.

Diversification

KHNP plans to expand its new and

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

production capacity to 7.6 GW by 2030. The company is installing the world’s largest floating photovoltaic power-generation facility (300MW) on the

Saemangeum Seawall The Saemangeum Seawall (), on the south-west coast of the Korean peninsula, is the world's longest man-made dyke, measuring . It runs between two headlands, and separates the Yellow Sea and the former Saemangeum estuary. It was built to recla ...

North Jeolla Province North Jeolla Province, officially Jeonbuk State (), is a Special Self-governing Province of South Korea in the Honam region in the southwest of the Korean Peninsula. Jeonbuk borders the provinces of South Chungcheong to the north, North Gyeo ...

. With the city of

Ulsan Ulsan (; ), officially the Ulsan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's seventh-largest metropolitan city and the eighth-largest city overall, with a population of over 1.1 million inhabitants. It is located in the south-east of the country, neighbo ...

and

Hyundai Motor Company Hyundai Motor Company, often referred to as Hyundai Motors, ( ) and commonly known as Hyundai (), is a South Korean multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, which ...

, it installed a 6 MW photovoltaic power-generation facility. In 2019, KHNP completed a 19.2 MW onshore wind-power-generation complex in 2019, powering about 16,000 households at the foot of Noraesan mountain near its pumped-storage plant in Cheonsong, Syeongsangbuk-do Province.

New markets

In Romania, KHNP implementing a technical-service project for a radioactive waste repository. The company also strengthened cooperation with nuclear power plant operators in the Czech Republic, Poland, Kazakhstan, and Bulgaria. In 2025, KHNP announced it was withdrawing from the bid process for two new reactors at the

Borssele Nuclear Power Station The Borssele Nuclear Power Station (''Kerncentrale Borssele'') is a nuclear power plant near the Dutch town of Borssele. It has a pressurised water reactor (PWR). Borssele is the only nuclear power plant still operational for electricity producti ...

in the Netherlands. It had recently withdrawn from similar reactor selection processes in Sweden and Slovenia.

Overseas renewable energy

In September 2020, KHNP announced that it had joined a consortium with several South Korean financial institutions. The consortium agreed to acquire 49.9 percent of four large

wind farm A wind farm, also called a wind park or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an exten ...

s in the United States. That year, the company joined Korea Overseas Infrastructure & Urban Development Corp (KIND), S Energy, and Hanyang Electric at the

World Trade Center Seoul World Trade Center Seoul (WTC Seoul; ) is a building complex centered on the COEX Convention & Exhibition Center (Coex) on Teheranno in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu district of Seoul. It is operated by Korea International Trade Association. No ...

in a consortium to invest in a solar-power project in Chile. The consortium is promoting a 6.6MW plant in Guadalupe and a 6.4MW plant in María Pinto, both near

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

, the capital of Chile. KHNP intended to complete construction in 2021 and operate the two plants for 25 years.

US reactor

The US

Nuclear Regulatory Commission The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with protecting public health and safety related to nuclear energy. Established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, the ...

(NRC) certified KEPCO's

in 2019, saying that the NRC found the design fully meeting US safety requirements. According to KEPCO, the APR-1400 was the first "non-US type" reactor design certified by the NRC. In October 2017, European Utility Requirements (an advisory group for European utilities) had approved the APR-1400 reactor design.(WNN) Korean reactor design certified for use in USA (Aug 27, 2019)
/ref>

Winning a tender in the Czech Republic

On 17 July 2024, KHNP won the tender for the construction of two new units at

Dukovany Nuclear Power Station The Dukovany Nuclear Power Station () is a nuclear power plant near Dukovany in the Czech Republic. It was the second nuclear power plant in Czechoslovakia (the Bohunice Nuclear Power Plant in what is now Slovakia was constructed in 1958), and t ...

in Czech Republic and will also negotiate an option for the construction of two more units at

Temelín Temelín (, ) is a municipality and village in České Budějovice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 900 inhabitants. It is known for the Temelín Nuclear Power Station. Administrative division Temelín cons ...

. Price for one unit at Dukovany to be about CZK 200 billion. Later it was announced that Westinghouse, KHNP and Korea Electric Power Cooperation had reached agreement on reactor intellectual property issues, which had gone to court in the US. Details of the settlement remain confidential, but it permits cooperation between the parties for future projects.

Notes

External links

KHNP official English-language site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Electric power companies of South Korea Nuclear power companies of South Korea