Westinghouse Files a Suit Against KHNP and KEPCO

Westinghouse Electric Co. filed a suit against Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) on Oct. 21. According to the American nuclear power company, KHNP’s APR-1400 reactor was developed based on Combustion Engineering’s System 80 and KHNP can export its reactor only after approved by the U.S. Department of Energy and itself. Westinghouse acquired Combustion Engineering in 2000.

South Korea is about to announce a project to build a nuclear power plant in Poland and the lawsuit is likely to affect the announcement. Six pressurized water reactors are scheduled to be built in Poland and the government is planning to choose a builder late this month among Westinghouse, EDF and KHNP. Westinghouse and KHNP are competing in the Czech Republic as well.

Back in 2009 and 2010, KHNP built four APR-1400s in the United Arab Emirates. At that time, KHNP obtained an approval from the Department of Energy by paying fees to Westinghouse and subcontracting steam turbines to Toshiba, which was the parent company of Westinghouse.

In the meantime, Polish newspapers reported that China is hindering the nuclear power plant construction project of KHNP, PGE and ZEPAK. “The three energy companies were supposed to sign their letter of intent in South Korea on Oct. 18 but the Chinese government did not approve the flight of PGE and ZEPAK over China,” they said.