Photo: Nuclear power plants in Dukovany, Czechia. Credit: Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power.
In October 2025, South Korea pledged to invest up to USD 350b in the United States. The first installment of that investment is likely to be finalized in the coming weeks as Seoul and Washington near an agreement to construct up to eight nuclear power plants. The USD 100b-plus project would be the first instance of South Korea constructing Korean-designed nuclear power plants in the United States.
In connection with this deal, Seoul is considering an acquisition of Westinghouse, the US nuclear power company at the center of a 2022 intellectual property battle with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power 한국수력원자력. (See previous coverage, “Shine Off Nuclear Export.”) Although the litigation was settled in January 2025, KHNP has had to pay significant royalties to export its nuclear reactors. A South Korean stake in Westinghouse could smooth tensions between the two companies and permit KHNP to more freely construct nuclear power plants abroad.
