Hyundai E&C signs Bulgaria nuclear plant design contract

By Candice Kim Posted : November 5, 2024, 11:45 Updated : November 5, 2024, 11:45
Hyundai E&C Hyundai E&C President Yoon Young-joon (left) signs a design contract for Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear power plant in Sofia on Nov. 4, 2024. Courtesy of Hyundai E&C
SEOUL, November 5 (AJP) – Hyundai Engineering & Construction signed a 20 trillion won (US$14.5 billion) contract on Monday to design two nuclear reactors in Bulgaria, partnering with U.S.-based Westinghouse.

The project will add two 2,200-megawatt Westinghouse AP1000 reactors to Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear plant located 200 kilometers north of Sofia. The plant currently operates two Russian-designed units.

Construction is scheduled for completion in 2035, with the main engineering, procurement and construction contract expected late next year.

"I am pleased to sign a contract with Hyundai E&C, which has demonstrated its technological expertise in the global nuclear power market," Bulgarian Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev said at the signing ceremony in Sofia, which was attended by Energy Minister Vladimir Malinov and Hyundai E&C President Yoon Young-joon.

The Kozloduy plant, Bulgaria's first nuclear power plant which began operations in 1974, produces one-third of the country’s electricity.  Its first four units have been decommissioned, leaving the two Russian-designed units in operation.

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