"Most nuclear power plant builders prefer Korean-made reactors and technology. But Korea's real strength is not reactor design, it's construction culture. The Korean work ethic is exceptional."
Mesut Ouezman, head of Fermi Nuclear in the United States, said this when he met with ChosunBiz on the 22nd at the Busan Exhibition & Convention Center (BEXCO) in Busan, where he came to attend the 2026 Korea Atomic Power Annual Conference.
Ouezman's positive evaluation of Korea is based on past experience. Before taking the helm at Fermi Nuclear, Ouezman was a nuclear power expert who led nuclear projects for more than 20 years in Korea, the United States, China, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He served as vice president in charge of engineering for Korea's first overseas nuclear project, the UAE Barakah nuclear plant, seeing up close how Korean nuclear experts work.
Comparing construction sites in the United States and Korea, Ouezman praised Koreans' work ethic. "If a problem arises at a U.S. construction site, people start by arguing over who should take responsibility and who should fix it," he said. "Construction is halted while they try to find common ground."
But the Koreans Ouezman saw at the Barakah construction site were different. "Korean engineers didn't pass the buck; they pulled all-nighters or gave up weekends to focus on solving problems," he said, emphasizing, "It's because they had a sense of ownership and responsibility for the projects they were assigned. Truly exceptional."
Barakah is the first overseas nuclear project won by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), which led "Team Korea" including Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Samsung C&T, and Doosan Enerbility, in Dec. 2009. The total capacity is 5,600 megawatts (MW) with four units. Team Korea handled plant construction for about 15 years, starting with groundbreaking for Unit 1 in July 2012 and ending with the start of commercial operation of the final Unit 4 in Sept. 2024.
"Korea is the only country in the world that not only has indigenous nuclear technology but also the ability to deliver on time, on budget," Ouezman said. "Beyond technology and design, Korea's approach to nuclear construction is ethical. It's the differentiator for Korea's nuclear industry and the reason Fermi Nuclear is pursuing projects with Korean corporations."
◇ Building four large reactors on a site half the size of Manhattan… "Working with Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Doosan Enerbility"
Fermi Nuclear is a subsidiary of Fermi America, a U.S. private energy developer. Under the name "Project Matador," Fermi America is building the world's largest integrated power complex on a roughly 7,570-acre (about 30.6 km²) site outside Amarillo, Texas. The site area exceeds half the land area of Manhattan, New York (about 59 km²).
Project Matador will provide 17 GW of power infrastructure, including four large nuclear reactors (4 GW), small modular reactors (SMRs, 2 GW), combined-cycle gas (10 GW), and solar plus battery energy storage systems (1 GW). With power demand surging due to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), the goal is to produce and consume electricity through private efforts without relying on the existing public grid. The crux is to build generation facilities on private land and supply power directly.
The core of Project Matador is nuclear construction. Fermi Nuclear is responsible for building four AP1000 reactors from Westinghouse at the site. To that end, Fermi Nuclear is working closely with Korean corporations.
In Oct. last year, Hyundai Engineering & Construction signed a basic design services contract with Fermi Nuclear for the construction of four large reactors. Hyundai Engineering & Construction is pursuing the basic design in parallel with preparations for main construction, aiming to sign an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract in the first half of this year. Fermi Nuclear also signed a materials purchase agreement with Doosan Enerbility for primary equipment and for manufacturing nuclear steam generators.
"Korea is Fermi Nuclear's strategic partner," Ouezman said. "We want to bring not only Korea's nuclear construction technology but also its work ethic into Fermi Nuclear."
◇ "Applying AI to nuclear construction, need data from Korea, which has built steadily"
Beyond work ethic, Ouezman cited nuclear construction data as a reason to work with Korean nuclear companies. As Fermi Nuclear is pushing to introduce artificial intelligence (AI) into nuclear construction, data is needed for AI use.
"By training AI on data, we can identify and prevent risk factors that can arise during nuclear construction," Ouezman said. "AI is useless without data, and Korea continued to build nuclear plants even when the United States and Europe stopped, so Korea holds data on nuclear construction, processes, and safety—making it essential for Fermi Nuclear."
"Fermi Nuclear and Fermi America are U.S. corporations, but we are envisioning a future with Korean partners," Ouezman said. "Korea's nuclear construction capabilities and America's AI innovation will create new strengths together. We are collaborators, not competitors."