Samyang said Wednesday that it has won a contract to supply ion exchange resins used in the purification of nuclear power plants to Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power.

The chemical firm, affiliated with Samyang Holdings, said it had competed against foreign suppliers to obtain the order, becoming the first South Korean company to do so. Previously the country imported all its ion exchange resins, Samyang Corp. explained.

Under the agreement, Samyang will supply 700,000 liters of four types of ion exchange resins for three years to all nuclear power plants in the country.

The ion exchange resins, which take the form of microbeads measuring 0.3 to 1 millimeter in size, are crucial to remove radioactive materials from liquid waste, the company explained.

In addition to the deal, Samyang said it signed an agreement with Korea Nuclear Partners, an export firm jointly invested in by KHNP and related companies, and seeks to export its ion exchange resins.

When KHNP taps into an overseas market to build facilities or supply materials, it will also be introducing Samyang’s products, the chemical company said.

According to the chemical corporation, it succeeded in producing an ion exchange resin for the first time in Korea in 1976.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)