Ukraine's NNEGC Energoatom plans to hire South Korean nuclear plant operator Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to complete construction of the N3 and N4 blocks at the Khmelnytsky nuclear power plant and implement the Ukraine-EU Energy Bridge project, the Energy and Coal Industry Ministry said in a statement.

Energoatom and KHNP signed a memorandum of understanding in Kyiv on Wednesday to expand cooperation in the nuclear energy sector, focusing on cooperation in completing the Khmelnytsky plant and implementation of the energy bridge.

A steering committee with co-chairs from each side will be formed to implement the memorandum. The committee will coordinate cooperation issues and develop commercial agreements.

KHNP owns and operates 24 nuclear power blocks with 21,720 megawatts of combined capacity that generate about 32% of South Korea's electricity. KHNP has six more nuclear power blocks under construction and plans to build another four.

Energoatom is the operator of Ukraine's four nuclear power plants with 15 nuclear power blocks, including 13 VVER-1000 and two VVER-440 reactors, with 13,840 MW of combined capacity.

Planned capacity at the Khmelnytsky NPP's reactors 3 and 4 amounts to 1,000 MW each. If built, a significant portion of electricity output will be exported to EU countries.