Doosan Enerbility Vice Chairman Jeong Yeonin Heads to Nepal: "We Will Do Our Utmost to Rescue Employees"

Vice Chairman Dispatched to Nepal in Response to Major Flood

Nine, Including Doosan Enerbility Employees, Remain Out of Contact

Jeong Yeonin, Vice Chairman and CEO of Doosan Enerbility, stated regarding the massive flood in Nepal, "We will do our utmost to rescue employees with whom we have lost contact."

Jung Yeonin, CEO of Doosan Enerbility, is answering questions from reporters at Incheon International Airport on the 27th. Photo by Yonhap News.

Speaking to reporters at Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 27th before departing for Nepal, Jeong said, "We are currently working closely with the relevant authorities," as he made this statement.

When asked if there was any new information about the employees with whom contact has been lost, he replied, "At this time, there is none."

Upon his arrival in Nepal, Jeong is expected to lead the on-site emergency response. The response team is comprised of about seven to eight people, with plans to deploy additional personnel on site as needed.

Following the large-scale flood in the Rasuwa region of Nepal, which resulted in the loss of contact with employees at the local hydropower plant construction site, Doosan Enerbility established an emergency response headquarters in Korea with about 40 employees to assess the situation and coordinate the response. Director Lee Dongsoo, Executive Vice President and Head of EHS at Doosan Enerbility, is serving as the head of the response headquarters.

As of 1 p.m. on the 27th, it has been confirmed that a total of nine Korean nationals are currently out of contact: six employees from Doosan Enerbility and three employees from Korea South-East Power. Ten Korean employees of Doosan Enerbility who had been previously isolated at the site have been confirmed safe.

The incident occurred on the morning of August 26th when a sudden massive flash flood struck the northern Rasuwa region of Nepal. The flooding engulfed the Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Plant construction site, which is being handled by Doosan Enerbility under an EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) contract, resulting in the loss of contact with Korean employees at the site.

The Upper Trishuli-1 Hydropower Plant is a 216-megawatt (MW) facility under construction along the Trishuli River, about 70 kilometers north of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu.

Yoon Janghyun, Head of the New Growth Division at Korea South-East Power, also departed for Nepal together with Vice Chairman Jeong on the same day. Speaking to reporters, Yoon said, "We will focus on site search operations and monitoring the situation to ensure our employees can return safely," adding, "We will do everything in our power and make the utmost effort."

Regarding communication with employees' families, Yoon stated, "We have been in continuous contact with the families residing in Nepal since the accident occurred, and if the families in Korea wish to go to Nepal, we will proactively arrange transportation and accommodation so that they can join on site."

Concerning the damage to the hydropower plant, Yoon explained, "The construction was 84 percent complete, but it appears that more than 90 percent of the upper weir dam was destroyed and that about 90 percent of the base camp, where construction personnel stayed, has also been lost. However, our understanding is that the underground power station was not buried."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.