Daewoo Engineering & Construction, the nation’s third-largest builder, is stepping up its efforts to win engineering, procurement and construction contracts overseas in the nuclear power plant sector, the company said in a press release.

Daewoo E&C is a latecomer to nuclear power plant construction compared with other builders such as Hyundai E&C, but it quickly caught up to become the first builder to have capabilities from plant design to construction by winning a nuclear plant design deal from state-run Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute last April.

Under the deal worth 18.64 billion won ($16 million), the company said it would design and engineer a 20-megawatt research reactor, to be primarily used for radioisotope production for research and medical engineering study purposes.

The reactor will be located in Gijang, South Gyeongsang Province, and offer a stable supply of isotopes, a type of radioactive material.

Daewoo E&C built a reputation for designing research reactors in 2009 after it formed a consortium with the KAER and won an order from the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission. It was the first time Korea won a nuclear reactor construction order overseas.

The company entered the market in 1992 when it was selected as the builder for units 3 and 4 of the Wolseong nuclear power plant in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. Based on this experience, Daewoo E&C exported its technical consultation services and procurement services to Qinshan nuclear power plant 3 project in China and Lungmen nuclear power plant project in Taiwan.

The company is constructing units 1 and 2 of the Shin-Wolseong nuclear power plant in Gyeongju.

The company enhanced diversity in its engineering and constructing business portfolio for the nuclear power sector. Its portfolio includes nuclear power plants, low- and medium-level radioactive waste disposal facilities, research reactors and the development of small and midsize power reactors.

Daewoo E&C is actively joining research and development activities for the System-integrated Modular Advanced Reactor, or SMART, a desalination reactor that is considered a fourth-generation reactor.

Daewoo E&C was founded in 1973 and has carried out numerous construction projects in such fields as housing and power plants.

By Seo Jee-yeon (jyseo@heraldcorp.com)