A nighttime view of the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant Shin-Wolseong Units 1 and 2
Despite a lawsuit filed by U.S. nuclear company Westinghouse against Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to hinder its standalone nuclear power exports being dismissed by a U.S. court, Westinghouse has indicated its intention to appeal, foreshadowing a prolonged legal battle.
According to industry sources on Sept. 20, after the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. rendered a dismissal judgment, Westinghouse expressed its intention to appeal on Sept. 19 (local time) through a statement by David Durham, president of Energy Systems.
President Durham stated, “There is a longstanding obligation to comply with U.S. nuclear technology export controls and for KEPCO and KHNP to respect intellectual property rights as agreed in the contract.” He emphasized, “The core of this dispute is the commercial use of Westinghouse’s intellectual property outside of Korea.”
While the industry views this ruling as a de facto victory for KHNP, paving the way for nuclear power exports to Europe and other countries, attention is focused on Westinghouse’s preparation for an appeal, with speculation that a prolonged legal battle is ahead.
On the other hand, KHNP remains cautious regarding Westinghouse’s appeal. It is true that KHNP initially received support from Westinghouse during early nuclear development, but the currently proposed exports are models developed independently afterwards and are reportedly not subject to U.S. export controls.
A KHNP representative stated, “Currently, international arbitration proceedings related to the dispute between KHNP and Westinghouse are underway at the Korea Commercial Arbitration Board. We are closely monitoring Westinghouse.”