UPDATE 1-KEPCO, Samsung in $4.5 bln Kazakhstan power project

(Adds details)

SEOUL, May 14 (Reuters) - South Korean utility Korea Electric Power Corp (015760.KS) and building group Samsung Corp (000830.KS) have secured a preliminary $4.5 billion deal to build a power plant in Kazakhstan, a source close to the matter said.

The two firms are in talks with Kazakhstan's state holding company Samruk, the source said on Wednesday.

The $4.5 billion plant, with power generation of 1,320 megawatts, would be the largest power deal for South Korea.

The deal was signed during South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo's visit to central Asia this week, said the source, who was not authorised to speak to the media about the deal.

During the visit, South Korea's state-run nuclear power company also signed a contract to secure 2,600 tonnes of uranium from Uzbekistan between 2010 and 2016, valued at about $400 million. [ID:nSEO214113]

The deal will diversify the country's uranium import sources to six countries, including Australia, Canada and Kazakhstan. The new supply also represents 9 percent of South Korean uranium consumption a year on an annualised basis. (Reporting by Cheon Jong-woo and Angela Moon; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree)