KHNP President Cho Seok shakes hands with ENEC CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi at ENEC’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi on July 20 after signing an Operating Support Services Agreement (OSSA) to supply manpower for the operation of the Bakarah Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) signed an Operating Support Services Agreement (OSSA) to supply manpower for the operation of the Bakarah Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP).

KHNP President Cho Seok signed the deal with ENEC CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi at ENEc’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi on July 20. A Korean consortium is building four BNPP units with homegrown technology. The whole process of the BNPP stands at about 66 percent as of the end of June. The reactor of the first unit was installed May 2014, and the unit is to be dedicated by next May. Under the OSSA, KHNP will be able to export expertise on the operation of nuclear power units and create quality overseas jobs on top of the construction of nuclear power units. 

“I’m very proud that the deal recognizes KHNP staff as engineers with top-notch expertise related to operation of nuclear power plants,” said Lee Yang-soo, KHNP general manager dispatched to the BNPP site.

Seventy-five of KHNP’s 75 experienced and qualified nuclear plant personnel at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), including main control room operators and local operators will be dispatched initially to support ENEC’s operating subsidiary, Nawah Energy Company (Nawah). The figure will rise to 436 by 2019. Aggregate manpower to the BNPP will stand at 3,052 by 2030. 

The value of the deal is about $920 million — $600 million under formal contract and $320 million in non-operation expenses. If housing costs are accounted for, dispatched KHNP personnel will be paid about 300 million won annually per person. The lifespan of the BNPP is 60 years. The two companies plan to renew the OSSA every 10 years after 2030. Under the agreement, 10 percent of the manpower of the BNPP will be filled with UAE nationals every year, but experts say the UAE will find difficult to fill the quota in consideration of the nation’s manpower conditions.

KHNP is training about 750 staff members, to be dispatched to the BNPP.

In particular, the deal will likely have a positive impact on KHNP’s bid to win four more nuclear power units the UAE is considering under the “Abu Dhabi 2030 Plan.” Currently, the UAE has secured the site for four more nuclear power units beside the BNPP.

“We’ve met the UAE’s demand to find the world’s best manpower,” said KHNP President Cho. He made the remarks while meeting with Korean reporters in Abu Dhabi. It is the first time Korea will utilize a business model of creating quality jobs by dispatching such a large number of “soft manpower.”  Working at the BNPP is a hard job, but it entails good compensation, the company says. 

The UAE has a population of about 9 million, 1.8 million to 1.9 million of which are UAE nationals. In consideration of manpower conditions, the UAE cannot fill the manpower for the BNPP, President Cho said.  Cho said KHNP is seeking to win nuclear power unit orders from the Czech Republic and Saudi Arabia.   

Business ties between Korea and the UAE are getting brisker following Korea’s landing of the BNPP project. 

UAE nationals touring Korea to undergo medical treatments are on the rise, and in March, Korea opened a Korean cultural center in Abu Dhabi.

KHNP President Cho Seok, ENEC CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi and other officials of KHNP and ENEC pose together for a group photo session. (Photos: KHNP)