South Korea targets two new nuclear reactors

South Korea’s Climate, Energy & Environment Minister, Kim Sung-hwan, has said the government will proceed under the 11th Basic Power Supply Plan, which calls for the construction of two large-scale nuclear reactors with a combined capacity of 2,800 megawatt-electric (MWe), scheduled for completion in 2037 and 2038.

The plan also includes the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) totalling 700MWe by 2035.

“While it would be ideal to rely entirely on renewable energy, Korea’s reality as an isolated power grid makes that extremely difficult,” Kim said, stressing that nuclear power remains unavoidable.

This ends months of uncertainty about the power road map set under the previous administration and finalised in February 2025, when the 11th Basic Power Supply Plan was adopted with bipartisan backing. However, after taking office the following June, President Lee Jae Myung called for a review of the plan, citing insufficient public input. He questioned the projects’ feasibility due to site and safety constraints. However, concerns that the earlier Moon Jae-in administration’s nuclear phase-out policy might be revived have now subsided.

The government’s position followed a nationwide public survey conducted in January by Gallup Korea and Realmeter at the Ministry’s request. Some 89.5% of the 3,024 respondents said nuclear power is necessary, with 69.6% in favour of proceeding with the reactor construction plan under the 11th road map.

While the government ultimately approved the project amid rising electricity demand from the AI and semiconductor industries, it is now facing criticism for wasting time under the pretext of deliberation.

Under the 11th plan, construction of a large nuclear reactor typically takes nearly 14 years, meaning that even an immediate site selection would leave little margin to meet the 2037–38 completion targets. President Lee has questioned the value of policies the results of which would only be realised after a decade.

Kim said the government will now move faster, centring the energy mix on nuclear and renewable power while phasing out coal. He added that the Ministry will expand energy storage systems and pumped-storage hydropower to address the intermittency of renewables and introduce load-following measures to make nuclear operations more flexible.

He also left open the possibility of additional nuclear projects beyond the two reactors currently planned. “We are not intentionally closing the door,” he said. “We will assess what level of nuclear capacity is appropriate for Korea’s energy mix under the 12th basic plan.”

The upcoming 12th Basic Plan, currently in development, will include updated projections for electricity demand driven by AI and electric vehicles, and outline a revised energy mix, including the proportion of nuclear and renewable sources. The Korean Nuclear Society has urged the government to incorporate plans for additional reactors to avoid an energy shortfall after 2040.

The society noted that even maintaining the current 30% share of nuclear power would require at least 20 new reactors by 2050. Considering the explosive power demand from AI data centres’ semiconductor clusters, the construction of these two reactors is merely a first step.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) will now begin a public bidding process to select host sites in the coming months. The company aims to complete site selection within five to six months. Subsequently, licensing procedures including environmental impact assessment and radiological environmental impact assessment will be conducted by 2029, with construction permits to be obtained in the early 2030s.

The main building foundation excavation and initial concrete pouring should start from 2031, targeting completion in 2037 and 2038. KHNP previously stated in a policy briefing that it would “secure sites for two large reactors and one SMR in a timely manner, based on government direction and public opinion”. The SMR is expected to be completed in 2035.

South Korea’s 26 reactors currently provide around one-third of its electricity. Under the 11th Basic Plan, nuclear power generation is expected to grow from 180.5 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2023 to 248.3TWh in 2038. The nuclear share will grow from 30.7% in 2023 to 35.2% in 2038.

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