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SEOUL, May 7 (Yonhap) -- Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) have failed to cooperate properly on nuclear power plant export projects, resulting in overlapping expenditures and other inefficiencies, the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) said Thursday.
The two firms, known for a high-profile legal dispute over additional construction costs incurred in their joint Barakah nuclear power plant project in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have been performing overlapping functions, each operating a large workforce dedicated to nuclear power exports, the BAI found in a regular audit.
KEPCO had 567 people at 10 departments for the business, while KHNP had 216 people at six departments, it said.
In particular, the two companies failed to share information, technology or personnel, resulting in inefficiency in the course of bidding and negotiating processes of overseas nuclear power plant projects. Their lack of cooperation could have even harmed national credibility, the BAI said.
In one such noncooperation case, KEPCO refused to share information on the cost of the UAE project when KHNP was working on a project in the Czech Republic, while KHNP unilaterally withdrew personnel loaned for KEPCO's UAE project and responded lukewarmly to KEPCO's request for technology and personnel for a Saudi Arabia project, the BAI said.
The auditor suggested that the two companies sign a memorandum of understanding specifying criteria for cooperation and strengthen coordination through a joint nuclear power export council.
Board of Audit and Inspection (Yonhap)
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