K-nuclear power roundtable on policy finance for global expansion

Participants, including Jeon Chan-hyeok (fifth from left), acting executive vice president of Korea Electric Power Corp., and Ju Sang-jin, deputy governor of the Export-Import Bank of Korea, pose for a photo at the "Policy Finance Roundtable for K-Nuclear Global Expansion" event on Thursday in Yeouido, Seoul. [Export-Import Bank of Korea]
Participants, including Jeon Chan-hyeok (fifth from left), acting executive vice president of Korea Electric Power Corp., and Ju Sang-jin, deputy governor of the Export-Import Bank of Korea, pose for a photo at the "Policy Finance Roundtable for K-Nuclear Global Expansion" event on Thursday in Yeouido, Seoul. [Export-Import Bank of Korea]

The Export-Import Bank of Korea said Friday it hosted a "Policy Finance Roundtable for K-Nuclear Global Expansion."

The event was held Thursday at the bank's headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, and brought together state-run nuclear energy companies including Korea Electric Power Corp. and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, engineering-procurement-construction and key equipment firms such as Doosan Enerbility, Hyundai E&C, Samsung C&T and Daewoo Engineering, as well as the Korea Nuclear Industry Association.

The gathering was organized to prepare for a "nuclear renaissance" — a period in which nuclear power is gaining renewed prominence amid a surge in electricity demand driven by AI industry growth, rising concerns over energy security and the push to achieve carbon neutrality goals.

Participants discussed the Export-Import Bank's role as a "financial locomotive" within a unified export cooperation framework, in line with the government's plan to streamline the K-nuclear export system. The effort aims to restructure the current fragmented, state enterprise-led contracting model into a government-led, unified system.

Nuclear companies at the event shared difficulties encountered in pursuing overseas nuclear projects, including geopolitical risks and the challenge of securing large-scale, long-term financing. The Export-Import Bank said it would provide tailored financial solutions drawing on its experience financing the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates.

The bank plans to swiftly develop a "K-finance package" for major nuclear projects taking shape in Vietnam, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Poland, and to proactively prepare financing arrangements matched to the needs of project owners.

In April, the Export-Import Bank signed a four-party memorandum of understanding with Vietnam's state-owned PetroVietnam on exploring financial cooperation for a Vietnamese nuclear power plant project, marking a formal push into the Southeast Asian nuclear market.

"As the Export-Import Bank marks its 50th anniversary, we will provide full support to help South Korea's nuclear industry emerge as a global leader — laying the foundation for the next 50 years," said Ju Sang-jin, head of the bank's project finance division and deputy governor.


hyuk@heraldcorp.com