"New & Clean Energy Silk Road” is the new slogan that Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) presented during a ceremony to officially open its new headquarters in Gyeongju on May 27, after it was relocated from Seoul. To put the catchphrase into action, KHNP unveiled a comprehensive plan to develop Gyeongju.
The plan calls for attracting 100 companies with which KHNP maintains cooperative ties, undertaking five projects and 10 others in the interests of neighborhood residents. KHNP’s relocation to Gyengju is expected to help the Gyeongju area earn 80 billion won in tax revenues for the next 10 years, KHNP said.
The five projects are mid- and long-term programs designed to help KHNP promote shared growth with Gyeongju. They include a project to attract 100 companies related to nuclear power to Gyeongju; the establishment of an institute for educating nuclear power manpower; the creation of a women’s soccer team representing Gyeongju; and the reinvigorating of the MICE industry with a focus on the Hwabaek International Convention Center (HICO). In particular, KHNP has decided to create a team for promoting shared growth with Gyeongju charged with attracting 100 nuclear power companies to the city 30 companies in a short-term plan and a combined 100 companies in a mid- and long-term plan.
KHNP plans to offer incentives to nuclear power companies moving into Gyeongju in cooperation with the Gyeongju city government.
KHNP plans to implement diverse projects to nurture SMEs. For instance, the power company plans to create a fund of 100 billion won to extend easy loans to SMEs. The company is seeking to lend a helping hand to SMEs in such areas as management consulting and support for importing equipment. KHNP plans to establish an education institute capable of developing 100 nuclear power personnel annually.
KHNP plans to attract international conferences on nuclear power to HICO, thus contributing to the development of the MICE industry, which is emerging as an added value sector.
The power company plans to implement 10 projects in the interests of neighborhood residents. One of them is about the installing of photovoltaic power street lamps. It will implement a pilot project to install photovoltaic power street lamps at Gyeongju’s areas that are vulnerable to thefts, and expand it more broadly.
KHNP plans to install 3,000 automated external defibrillators for emergency patients in the Gyeongju area. The company plans to finance eyesight recovery operations and home repair projects for those in the low-income bracket.
“We’ve drawn up a comprehensive plan to develop the Gyeongju area so neighborhood residents can see their economic, cultural, welfare and educational conditions improve,” said KHNP President Cho Seok. KHNP will devote itself to making it a company loved by neighborhood residents and realize the Energy Silk Road Vision by rising to a world-class company, he added.
KHNP wound up its headquarters in Samseong, southeastern Seoul, and moved to Gyeongju in March, ushering in an era of new energy industries and expanding its businesses abroad.
The new KHNP headquarters building, a 12-story structure with one basement floor, covers a site of 157,000 sq. meters. Some 1,000 KHNP staff and officers, as well as 2,000 accompanying family members, are moving into the new location.
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A view of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power’s ceremony to officially open its new headquarters in Gyeongju. (Photos:KHNP)
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