President Kim Jong-kap of Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO). (Photos: KEPCO)

President Kim Jong-kap of Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) participated in the 24th World Energy Congress (WEC) that took place in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, from Sept. 9 to Sept. 12. Kim ramped up his “sales diplomacy” to make a pitch for Korean nuclear power technology abroad as he signed an MOU with Barakah One Company to cooperate on joint efforts to tap the nuclear power industries of third countries.

KEPCO President Kim, a panelist of a WEC panel discussion session, exchanged views on the sustainability of nuclear power, as well as challenges facing the global nuclear power industry and ways to overcome them in keeping with energy paradigm shift.

Other panelists included Emirate Nuclear Energy Company CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi of the UAE, Rosatom Senior Vice President Kirill Komarow of Russia, EDF Senior Vice President Xavier Ursat, President Gun of China National Nuclear Corp. and Agnetga Rising of World Nuclear Association of Sweden.

Kim also held meetings with ranking government and company officials to discuss ways of promoting comprehensive cooperation in the energy sector. They agreed to continue to explore collaboration in the new energy business sectors such as smart girds, energy storage systems (ESS) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI).

KEPCO President Kim struck an MOU with CEO Naasser O. Al Masseri of Barakah One Company to cooperate in joint efforts to tap the nuclear power industries of third countries on Sept. 10.

Vice Minister Cheong Seung-il of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and UAE Energy Minister Suhail Mohammed Faraj Al Mazroui were also present at the signing event.

KEPCO President Kim Jong-kap signs an MOU with CEO Naasser O. Al Masseri of Barakah One Company to cooperate in joint efforts to tap the nuclear power industries of third countries on Sept. 10.

Under the agreement, the two companies have laid groundwork to cooperate in a wide area such as investment & financing, permission, manpower development and localization in the global new nuclear power market.

They will aggressively explore ways of promoting cooperation in a joint effort to enter the nuclear power industries of third countries by making the most of the experiences and expertise they accumulated in the course of the implementation of the UAE nuclear power project.

The move is expected to help Korea and the UAE further strengthen ties in the nuclear power sector. The companies reaffirmed their determination to provide full cooperation to dedicate the UAE nuclear power plant on time and stabilize its operation.

President Kim also toured the UAE nuclear power plant construction site and gave words of encouragement to the site workers sweating on a land of heat a far away from their home country despite the traditional Korean Chuseok holiday.

In a related development, KEPCO joined forces with an export exploration delegation consisting of prominent SMEs in the electricity sector to promote their products and the 2019 Bitgaram International Exposition of Electric Power Technology (BIXPO 2019), slated for November in Gwangju, on the sidelines of the 24th WEC.

KEPCO installed a pavilion at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, the venue of the WEC, to showcase the “Smart City,” an energy efficiency project, KEPCO Smart Energy Management System (K-SEMS), whole-cycle off-shore wind power generation, and other latest technologies.