NNEGC Energoatom and Korean Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co., Ltd. (HDEC) signed a memorandum of cooperation on the design, construction and commissioning of new nuclear power plant units in Ukraine.

The corresponding agreements were signed in Kyiv on Monday by acting Chairman of the Board of Energoatom Petro Kotin and Executive Vice President and COO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction Young Choi in the presence of Minister of Energy of Ukraine Herman Haluschenko and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Korea to Ukraine Kim Hyung Tae.

As the head of the Ministry of Energy said at a briefing after signing the memorandum, this begins cooperation in the completion of new units and in general for the future, including in joint work on new reactor models.

"But now we are talking about specific projects – those that we are currently implementing at Khmelnytsky nuclear power plant," the minister said.

As Kotin noted at the briefing, South Korea has a very extensive nuclear industry and a very large expertise in it, so the issue of cooperation with Hyundai, which is a leader in this area, is very important for Energoatom.

At the same time, he drew attention to the fact that, in fact, cooperation with this company has already begun, recalling that part of the equipment for KhNPP-5, for the purchase of which an agreement was concluded with Westihghouse last year, was manufactured by Hyundai.

"And in the future, their support will be very important for us, for the success of our nuclear projects. And we have a very big plan," Kotin said.

In its release following the meeting, the Ministry of Energy said the document, in particular, provides for the assistance of Korean partners in the development of production capacities for the localization of equipment production in Ukraine.

Separately, Haluschenko thanked the Republic of Korea for the assistance provided to the Ukrainian energy sector since the beginning of the full-scale war with Russia, in particular for ten humanitarian aid shipments, including 20 backup power plants and mini-excavators.

At the same time, Hyung Tae said the Korean side is outraged by the recent Russian attacks that caused enormous damage to the Ukrainian energy infrastructure. According to him, the government of the Republic of Korea is working to help the Ukrainian energy sector, in particular Kharkiv. At the end of last year, 60 diesel generators were transferred to Ukraine, and another 200 are planned this year. Korea will also increase support for Ukrainian energy through international organizations.

Hyung Tae said the signing of a memorandum between Energoatom and Hyundai will contribute to the development of Ukrainian-Korean cooperation in the nuclear industry, in particular, the exchange of experience in the field of nuclear technology.

The Energy Ministry also said the memorandum of cooperation between the companies was developed in accordance with the agreements enshrined in the letter of intent signed during the World Nuclear Exhibition in Paris at the end of November 2023.