Petr Závodský, CEO of CEZ subsidiary Elektrárna Dukovany II, said on the 31st, "I am convinced that cooperation with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) was the right choice," and added, "We are reviewing additional construction beyond the two nuclear power plants to be built in the Dukovany area and want to expand cooperation with KHNP."

Závodský attended the session "Rising energy demand in the AI era and a sustainable future: the role of next-generation nuclear power" at the APEC CEO Summit 2025 held at Gyeongju Art Center in North Gyeongsang on the day and said, "(For the Dukovany nuclear plant) we selected KHNP through a fair and transparent bidding process, and it was perfect in both technology and cost-effectiveness."

A session titled "Rising Energy Demand in the AI Era and the Role of Next-Generation Nuclear for a Sustainable Future" takes place at the APEC CEO Summit held at the Gyeongju Arts Center on the 31st. /Courtesy of News1

Session participants said nuclear power is an energy source that can achieve energy security and carbon neutrality at the same time. Cho Seok-jin, KHNP vice president for technology, said, "Global electricity demand is surging due to AI and data center expansion," and "Nuclear power supplies large-scale, stable electricity without carbon emissions." As the development direction of the nuclear industry, Cho presented three tasks: ▲ improving the efficiency of large reactors ▲ expanding SMRs (small modular reactors) ▲ advancing nuclear fuel technology.

Christopher Levesque, CEO of TerraPower, a U.S. SMR company founded by Bill Gates, said, "Our vision is to build nuclear plants in countries with rapidly growing populations to help them escape energy poverty," and added, "With SMR technology that uses sodium as a coolant, we can cut plant size to one-third while operating the plant reliably 24 hours a day."

Levesque said, "Cooperation with Korean corporations such as SK Innovation, Doosan Enerbility, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is very important. We plan to deliver 10 sodium-cooled nuclear plants per year by the mid-2030s."

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said in a video message, "Nuclear power is a means of strengthening energy security without polluting the air," and added, "SMRs will supply clean energy around the world in a more flexible and efficient way."

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