KEPCO to buy new coal and nuclear units in next three years

To replace closed nuclear reactors.

According to Moody's Investors Service, KEPCO, through its wholly owned power generating subsidiaries, is scheduled to commission three nuclear reactors with a combined capacity of 3,800 megawatts (MW) in 2014-15, four coal-fired units with 3,760 MWs of capacity in late 2014 or 2015, and seven coal-fired units with 6,470 MWs of capacity in 2016-17.

The shutdown of three KEPCO nuclear reactors during the second half of 2013, following the discovery of faulty parts, is unlikely to disrupt the company’s plans to build more nuclear units. The government acted quickly, calling for extensive inspections and the replacement of substandard parts, and the incident does not appear to indicate broader safety issues for the Korean nuclear industry. The three reactors, which belong to KEPCO’s wholly owned nuclear power generators, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company (KHNP, A1 stable), resumed operations in January 2014.