KHNP's "Integrated Nuclear Power Plant Maintenance Personnel Qualification System" Receives Official Government Recognition

On August 7, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced that its "Integrated Nuclear Power Plant Maintenance Personnel Qualification System" has officially received government recognition from the Korea Human Resource Development Service for Emerging Industries, an affiliate of the Ministry of Employment and Labor. This recognition signifies that the qualification system, used internally by the company to enhance employee job competencies, has received official confirmation in terms of evaluation standards, operational frameworks, and management mechanisms, providing a more credible institutional foundation for nuclear power plant equipment operation and maintenance capability building.

The core of this recognized system lies in integrating the qualification frameworks previously operated separately by various nuclear maintenance partner companies into unified standards. This marks the first time such a standardized model has been established in Korea's nuclear maintenance sector. To develop an evaluation system better aligned with on-site needs, KHNP has collaborated with nuclear power plant workforce training institutions over the past three years to continuously advance the development of standard operating procedures, examination question banks, and qualification management information systems, aiming to resolve issues of inconsistent evaluation criteria across different companies and the difficulty of horizontally comparing personnel competencies.

Based on the results of the first round of examinations, the new system has significantly raised the entry threshold. The first written examination for nuclear power plant maintenance personnel, conducted last month, covered 10 core items across three major maintenance fields—mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation & control—with a total of 133 highly skilled maintenance workers from 12 major partner companies, including Soosan E&S, Geumhwa PSC, and Doosan Energy, participating. The final pass rate was only 25%, far below the previous pass rate of over 70% when partner companies conducted their own certifications, demonstrating that the unified system places greater emphasis on evaluation differentiation and professionalism.

The decline in the pass rate is not merely a result of more difficult examinations; it also reflects the strengthening requirements for standardization, normalization, and high reliability in nuclear maintenance positions. The operational safety of nuclear facilities is highly dependent on the technical proficiency and operational consistency of frontline maintenance personnel. Without unified qualification certification standards, personnel deployment, outsourcing management, and on-site quality control could be adversely affected. KHNP plans to continue supplementing and refining the evaluation system based on the results of the first round of assessments, combined with on-site practical capability analysis and candidate satisfaction surveys, to enhance the maturity and credibility of the system.

Meanwhile, KHNP has recently been expanding overseas nuclear power cooperation. On the 31st of last month, the company signed a memorandum of understanding on nuclear power business cooperation with Philippine energy company Aboitiz Power at its Gyeongju headquarters. The two parties will collaborate on nuclear technology information exchange, pre-feasibility studies for new nuclear power plant projects, education and training, seminars, and working-level consultation mechanisms. The standardization of the domestic maintenance qualification system may also provide support in terms of workforce management and operation & maintenance capabilities for its future participation in overseas nuclear power projects.