The KHNP-Westing House Dispute Period...Czech nuclear power plant 'green light'

[Anchor]
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. has ended its intellectual property dispute with Westinghouse, which was the biggest obstacle to winning orders for Czech nuclear power plants.

Details of the agreement have not been disclosed, but the final contract for the Czech nuclear power plant scheduled for March has been given a green light.

Reporter Choi Ah-young reports.

[Reporter]
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., France Electric Power Corp., and Westinghouse, the United States, faced off in a bid to win the Czech nuclear power plant in 2022.

In October of that year, Westinghouse filed an intellectual property lawsuit claiming that the original technology of Korean export nuclear power plants was theirs and put the brakes on exports.

In response, KHNP countered that it had no problem with its own export, saying it was our technology that succeeded in localization.

The conflict, which has been going on for the past two years or so, has finally come to an end.

KHNP and KEPCO said they have agreed to close the dispute with Westinghouse and cooperate in the global nuclear power market.

Westinghouse also said a reconciliation agreement has been reached, setting the stage for future cooperation.

The final order was also given a green light as the biggest stumbling block disappeared ahead of the final contract for the Czech nuclear power plant in March.

However, what the two sides agreed on was kept confidential according to the promise.

Inside and outside the industry, KHNP makes concessions to Westinghouse by giving royalties or work to export Czech nuclear power plants,

In the future, it is observed that they would have agreed to allocate or jointly enter export markets such as Europe and the Middle East.

[Jeong Dong-wook / Chung-Ang University Professor of Energy Systems Engineering: The exact gains and losses should be considered, but in the long run, it will help expand market dominance in preparation for China and Russia coming in.]

In the end, it seems that KHNP has chosen a strategy to actively work with Westinghouse to win overseas nuclear power plants instead of an uncertain legal dispute.

I'm YTN's Choi Ayoung.

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video: Eunkyung Lee
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