Korea and US agree $120bn framework to build eight nuclear reactors in America

October 1, 2026 at 02:00 AM2 min

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Seoul and Washington agreed on a Korea-US nuclear framework to invest $120 billion to build eight large nuclear power plants in the United States. Two of the eight plants will use the Korean APR1400 reactor design, marking the first time a foreign reactor design is built in the US. The remaining six will use the US AP1000 design, with Korean builders and equipment companies participating.

Key Facts

The framework agreement calls for $120 billion (about 163 trillion won) to build eight large nuclear power plants in the United States.
Two of the eight plants will use the Korean APR1400 reactor design, the first foreign reactor design to be built in the US.
The remaining six plants will use the US AP1000 design, with Korean builders and equipment companies participating.
The Korean government will seek to acquire 5%–10% equity in Westinghouse to share in the AP1000 project's profits.
The agreement revises the settlement agreement among KEPCO, KHNP and Westinghouse that had required over 1 trillion won in technology license fees per reactor export.

Reactor Design Split

The eight plants are split between two reactor designs: two APR1400 units and six AP1000 units. The APR1400 is a Korean-type nuclear power plant with a generation capacity of 1,400 MW. The AP1000 is the US design, and Korean builders and equipment companies will participate in its construction.

Westinghouse Equity Stake

To share in the AP1000 nuclear project's profits, the Korean government will seek to acquire 5%–10% equity in Westinghouse. KEPCO and KHNP, as well as domestic private corporations, are expected to join the equity purchase. Westinghouse holds the reactor design IP but is seen as lacking especially in construction capacity among EPC (engineering, procurement and construction).

Settlement Agreement Revision

The two governments agreed to revise the settlement agreement among KEPCO, KHNP and Westinghouse, which had been an obstacle to exporting Korean reactors to the United States. Under the SA signed in January last year, Korea had to pay Westinghouse more than 1 trillion won in technology license fees every time it exported a reactor. The revision allows two APR1400 units to be built on the US mainland with funds from a US-focused investment fund.