Hyundai E&C signs nuclear plant design contract with Bulgaria

This photo provided by Hyundai E&C shows a contract signing ceremony for the Korean builder's nuclear power plant construction deal with Bulgaria's Kozloduy NPP-New Builds PLC held in Sofia, Nov. 4. Yonhap Hyundai Engineering & Construction said Tuesday it has signed a nuclear power plant design contract with Bulgaria's state nuclear power plant builder.

The contract was signed Monday in Sofia with Bulgaria's Kozloduy NPP-New Builds PLC, according to Hyundai E&C. Under the contract, the Korean builder will design two 2,200-megawatt reactors to be built at the Kozloduy nuclear complex, located some 200 kilometers north of the country's capital, under a construction project worth about 20 trillion won ($14.6 billion).



Hyundai E&C was tapped as the preferred bidder for the project in February, and is expected to sign an engineering, procurement and construction contract to build the two reactors in the second half of next year. The project will be executed under a consortium with Westinghouse Electric of the United States. The Kozloduy plant, which supplies a third of Bulgaria's electricity, is the country's first nuclear facility built in 1969.

Due to aging issues, Units 1 through 4 have been shut down, with only Units 5 and 6, which are Russian-developed pressurized water reactors, in operation. A contract signing ceremony was held in Sofia on Monday and was attended by Hyundai E&C CEO Yoon Young-joon, Bulgarian Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev and Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov. At the ceremony, Yoon shared his enthusiasm for the partnership, noting Hyundai's established technical expertise in the global nuclear market, the company said.

He also expressed confidence in successfully delivering the project with the support of local partners. (Yonhap).