Request Rejected
It has been found that the U.S. government put the brakes on Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power’s plan to build a nuclear power plant in the Czech Republic.
According to industry sources, KHNP reported information to the U.S. Department of Energy on Dec. 23 last year in order to get a permit to bid. The department rejected the request on Jan. 19, saying that KHNP is a foreign company. According to the U.S. government, cross-border transfer of certain U.S. nuclear power technologies is impossible without its permission.
The issue is related to the APR1400, South Korea’s most advanced reactor based on a Westinghouse design. In October last year, the U.S. company filed a suit in Washington D.C., saying that the reactor is subject to export restrictions according to the U.S. Export Control Act.
KHNP is planning to keep talking with Westinghouse. “Westinghouse assisted in the development in the early stages, but the current APR1400 is South Korea’s own developmental product,” it said, adding, “The department’s rejection is because the report was not made via a U.S. company, and the project in the republic is expected to go smoothly as the United States and South Korea are working closely together in the industry.”