As if taking into account the government's stance to proceed as planned with construction of two large nuclear power plants and one small modular reactor (SMR) reflected in the 11th Basic Plan for Long-term Electricity Supply and Demand, a government official who attended the "2026 nuclear community New Year's gathering" hosted by the Korea Atomic Industrial Forum (KAIF) on the 30th said in unison that the government would back nuclear power, especially the commercialization of SMRs.
Bae Kyung-hoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, said in his greeting, "Facing the era's challenges of the climate crisis and a surge in AI power demand, the world is focusing on a strategic energy mix that includes nuclear power," and added, "Global big tech corporations are investing in SMR technology to supply power for AI and data centers."
Bae went on, "The power needed for 260,000 GPUs is less than 1 gigawatt (GW), and while 160,000 GPUs are needed for AI training, it is important not only to train AI but also to build services that commercialize it, and more power is required to create an AI market ecosystem," adding, "After 2030, Korea will need to operate 1 million to 2 million GPUs, and we are considering how much power that will require and whether the current power plan is sufficient."
Bae said, "Data centers for AI will be built, and I think SMRs should be built alongside each data center, and a structure is needed in which AI and energy, nuclear power and SMRs, are designed together from the start," and emphasized, "The Ministry of Science and ICT will strengthen investment in developing next-generation SMRs so Korea can step up as a global SMR powerhouse." He added, "We plan to strengthen investment in developing next-generation SMRs so Korea can step up as a global SMR powerhouse."
Lee Ho-hyun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, also stressed the importance of SMRs and policy support. Lee first explained, "After two policy debates and a public opinion survey, we announced that we would push ahead with building two new nuclear power plants and one SMR, comprehensively considering energy security, carbon neutrality, the AI transition, and the practical conditions of the power industry," adding, "This has created an opportunity to upgrade the domestic nuclear industry's capabilities in design, manufacturing, construction and operation, and to cement the industrial base that leads to future nuclear export competitiveness."
Lee continued, "The ministry will expand support for SMR technology development while also continuing support to secure competitiveness in SMR manufacturing," and said, "The global SMR market is already moving beyond the technology development stage and entering commercialization. We, too, must take our place at the starting line for SMR commercialization." Lee said, "We will respond wisely to the changing energy environment through the use of nuclear power and next-generation nuclear technologies."
At the event held under the theme "Nuclear power opening the age of artificial intelligence (AI)," more than 300 people attended, including Bae, Lee, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission Chairperson Choi Won-ho, High-level Radioactive Waste Management Commission Chairperson Kim Hyun-kwon, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources nuclear power strategy planning director Kim Chang-hee, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power acting president Jeon Dae-uk, Doosan Enerbility Vice Chairperson Jeong Yeon-in, and Korean Nuclear Society President Choi Sung-min, as well as lawmakers and stakeholders from industry, academia and research in the nuclear community.
Earlier, Minister of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Sung-hwan announced at a briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong on the 26th that the new nuclear plants reflected in the 11th Basic Plan for Long-term Electricity Supply and Demand would be built as planned. The 11th plan, finalized in Feb. last year, includes bringing in two large nuclear plants with a total capacity of 2.8 GW (gigawatts) in 2037 and 2038 and building one SMR (0.7 GW capacity) by 2035.