US-blacklisted CGN runs 2.2 GW in South Korea
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- CGN operates five South Korean power plants with a combined generation capacity of 2.2 gigawatts, supplying petrochemical companies and Hyundai Steel's Suncheon factory through the Daesan and Yulchon facilities
- On July 24, 2026, CGN began commercial operation of a 557 MW LNG combined cycle plant at the Daesan Industrial Complex in South Chungcheong Province, located roughly 45 miles west of Camp Humphreys and expected to deliver up to 3.9 terawatt-hours annually
- The FBI in 2016 charged CGN and US citizen Szuhsiung Ho (Allen Ho) with conspiracy to unlawfully produce nuclear material outside the US, alleging CGN stole US nuclear secrets for nearly two decades through joint ventures and commercial partnerships
- CGN was added to the US Department of Commerce's Entities List on August 15, 2019 and is also on the Department of War's list of Entities Identified as Chinese Military Companies
- CGN Korea Holdings — established November 11, 1996 — owns CGN Daesan Power and CGN Yulchon Power (both created in 2009), and is 100% owned by CGN as of 2022, making the subsidiaries Chinese state-owned enterprises despite frequent media descriptions as 'private'
- South Korean government approval of CGN gives the company access to the ROK power grid and energy technology network, a vulnerability the source says could enable sabotage of power production and distribution for both South Korea and the US military
Why it matters: CGN's grid access combined with its 45-mile proximity to Camp Humphreys — the largest US Army installation in South Korea — places a US-blacklisted espionage entity inside allied critical infrastructure. Media characterizations of its Korean subsidiaries as 'private' obscure that CGN Korea Holdings and its two plant companies remain 100% owned by a Chinese state-owned enterprise on the US military companies list.
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