[Energy-topia] The Hidden Strength of Korean Nuclear Power That We Don't Fully Know

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"I want to let the world know about the superpower you possess but may not fully realize." When Chris Anderson, head of the global knowledge-sharing platform TED, made this remark during his keynote speech at the '2025 Korea Nuclear Annual Conference' held on April 29, I could hardly believe my ears. I thought it was just a formality, but it was not. His words were sincere.

Anderson, who believes that nuclear power will solve the global energy shortage, has invested in ThorCon, a US molten salt reactor (MSR) startup. Whenever he has the chance, he advocates for ThorCon's potential. ThorCon is a type of floating nuclear power plant constructed in shipyards using shipbuilding methods. Korea's advanced shipbuilding technology could play a key role in making ThorCon a reality.

Korean shipbuilders are already participating in the offshore nuclear reactor business. In February last year, HD Hyundai held a molten salt reactor technology exchange with Core Power, a UK-based offshore nuclear developer, TerraPower from the US, and Southern Power, an American energy company, and has been working on developing offshore nuclear reactors. The molten salt reactor, one of the fourth-generation reactors, uses molten salt as a coolant. It is expected to be highly safe and advantageous for miniaturization, making it suitable for nuclear-powered ships or offshore nuclear power plants.

There is a growing consensus that nuclear energy is necessary to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. At the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28), a joint statement was adopted to triple nuclear power capacity by 2050. In March, Google, Amazon, and Meta also signed a pledge at an energy conference hosted by S&P Global, supporting efforts to increase nuclear energy by at least threefold.

The focus of discussion has now shifted from whether nuclear power is needed to how to expand nuclear power plants. According to the World Nuclear Association (WNA), tripling nuclear energy will require the construction of an additional 40 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear power capacity each year. This means that every year, 20 large nuclear power plants and more than 70 small modular reactors (SMRs) must be built. Given that currently only 10 GW of nuclear power is being constructed annually worldwide, this is an extremely challenging goal.

To rapidly expand nuclear power plants, the ability to build them within a set timeframe and budget is essential. Excluding authoritarian countries such as China and Russia, Korea is virtually the only country with such nuclear construction capabilities. This is why nuclear experts around the world say, "Korea's help is needed." Hideki Matsui, Director of the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF), who attended the event, said in a meeting with Korean journalists, "The last time a nuclear power plant was built in Japan was 16 years ago, in 2009," and added, "Due to Japan's lack of recent experience in nuclear construction, we hope to cooperate with Korea."

Korea is also being courted globally in the next-generation SMR construction sector. Doosan Enerbility plans to supply main equipment for four projects in addition to the domestic i-SMR, including those of NuScale, TerraPower, and X-energy in the United States. Hyundai Engineering & Construction is pursuing an SMR project with Holtec in the US.

A nuclear industry official I recently met said, "If the nuclear phase-out policy had continued for just a few more years, it would have been a disaster." This means the legacy of K-nuclear power, recognized worldwide, was nearly severed. Korea has been able to continue its nuclear construction experience by securing the Dukovany nuclear power plant contract in the Czech Republic, following the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). K-nuclear power is an invaluable asset for responding to global climate change and achieving carbon neutrality.

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