KEPCO: et tu Brute?

1 minute read

Korea Electric Power (KEPCO) is in the market with 3y and 5y USD REGS/144a tranches.

The transaction is notable as it is the first time in over a decade that the largest electricity utility in South Korea is issuing in USD in a non-labelled format. KEPCO currently has only labelled bonds in its benchmark USD issuance curve, with a total of around USD5bn outstanding.

As the company will hold investor calls on 4th Feb 2025, current green bond holders have the opportunity to enquire about KEPCO's decision to drop its themed issuance: is this due to political expediency, a change in strategy or some other reason? 

There seems to be no shortage of green projects, as the current bonds are all fully allocated (see KEPCO's green bond report). It will be interesting to study pricing relative to the green bond curve.

KEPCO has the majority of its debt in a non-labelled format, issued in KRW. A transition/climate assessment is available, for example through ClimateAction100+.

The deal leads are: Bank of America, Citi, JP Morgan and HSBC.

KEPCO USD Bond Curve
Source: Bloomberg