[Click e-Stock] "Nuclear Power Companies Expected to Enter U.S. Market"

On July 3, Meritz Securities expressed expectations that Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), Korea Electric Power Engineering Company (KEPCO E&C), and KEPCO KPS, among others, could enter the U.S. nuclear power market.

Moon Kyungwon, a researcher at Meritz Securities, explained, "U.S. President Donald Trump plans to expand nuclear power capacity from the current approximately 100GW to 400GW by 2050," adding, "The United States has started construction on only two nuclear power plants over the past 45 years."

He continued, "Considering supply chain issues such as large-scale forged components, the U.S. government's fiscal challenges, and project risks, it would be wise to cooperate with allied countries," and added, "We are paying attention to the possibility of 'Team Korea' entering the U.S. mainland."

He emphasized, "Among overseas reactor models, Korea's APR1400 is the only one to have received both Standard Design Approval (SDA) and Design Certification (DC) from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)."

Moon analyzed, "If the United States aims to start construction on 10 large-scale nuclear power plants before 2030, discussions must begin in 2025?2026," and said, "A surge in U.S. nuclear power plant installations will present both opportunities and burdens for the local nuclear value chain." He explained, "A country that has built only two power plants in the past 45 years will now need to start construction on eight units per year," and added, "Since there are no companies in the United States capable of producing ultra-large forged products (such as reactor pressure vessels), the country will have to rely entirely on overseas partners like Doosan Enerbility."

Moon predicted, "A Korea-U.S. summit could become a critical turning point that accelerates discussions on APR1400 construction projects in the United States," and added, "Even if the topic is not directly addressed at the summit, it is highly likely that discussions on nuclear power cooperation will be reignited."