KHNP CEO elected EPRI board member

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) CEO Whang Joo-ho / Courtesy of KHNP

By Lee Kyung-min

• Published Apr 30, 2023 4:27 PM KST
• Updated May 1, 2023 2:32 PM KST

By Lee Kyung-min

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) CEO, Whang Joo-ho, was elected as a member to the board of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the state-run energy firm said Sunday. He is the only Asian to join the group of 39 EPRI board members.

Whang is among four directors elected for a four-year term during an EPRI annual board meeting at Kimpton Tryon Park Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S., on April 27 (local time).

The remaining three are Justin E. Driscoll, acting president and CEO of New York Power Authority, Thomas J. Kent, president and CEO of Nebraska Public Power District and Jeffrey B. Guldner, president and CEO of Pinnacle West Capital Corporation. Guldner is chairman of the board and CEO of Arizona Public Service Company.

The Korean CEO met with EPRI CEO Arshad Mansoor later in the day to discuss cooperation in the fields of small modular reactor (SMR) business, digitization and extended stable operation of nuclear power plants.

“Whang is expected to strengthen cooperation with over 1,000 EPRI members, including power providers, equipment manufacturers, technology providers, government entities and stakeholders in the power industry in the U.S., France, Italy, China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE),” a KHNP official said.

EPRI is an American independent, nonprofit organization that conducts research and development related to the generation, delivery and use of electricity to help address challenges in the energy industry, including reliability, efficiency, affordability, health, safety and environment.

Founded in 1972, the energy research and development organization with offices around the world continues collaborative research works with experts with over 450 firms in 45 countries. Its mandate includes driving innovation to ensure the public has clean, safe, reliable, affordable and equitable access to electricity across the globe.