Four MOUs Signed in Nuclear Power Sector During President Lee Jaemyung's US Visit
"Expansion Expected in Participation in US Nuclear Power Plant Construction"
Korea Gas Corporation to Increase LNG Imports
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and Doosan Enerbility signed a memorandum of understanding on the 25th (local time) in Washington DC, USA, to collaborate on the US SMR project with Amazon, X-energy, and Doosan Enerbility. (From left) Jungkwan Kim, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy; Jiwon Park, Chairman of Doosan Enerbility; Juho Hwang, President of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power; J Clay Sell, CEO of X-energy; Ray Fakhoury, Energy Policy Manager at Amazon; Howard Lutnick, US Secretary of Commerce. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power
Korean companies are expanding their participation in the construction of nuclear power plants in the United States, including small modular reactors (SMRs). Additionally, they have agreed to newly import 3.3 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) annually from the United States.
According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, four memoranda of understanding (MOUs) to expand cooperation in the nuclear energy sector were signed at the Korea-US Business Roundtable held in Washington DC on August 25, 2025 (local time), coinciding with President Lee Jaemyung's visit to the United States.
First, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and Doosan Enerbility signed a four-party MOU with X-energy and Amazon Web Services (AWS) of the United States to cooperate on the design, construction, operation, supply chain development, investment, and market expansion for SMRs. Key executives in attendance included Shannon Kellogg, Vice President of AWS; J Clay Sell, CEO of X-energy; Juho Hwang, President of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power; and Jiwon Park, Chairman of Doosan Enerbility.
Under the agreement, the four companies will closely cooperate on the commercialization of SMRs with a total capacity of 5 gigawatts (GW), in which AWS has invested approximately 700 million dollars. This corresponds to 64 units of X-energy's 80-megawatt-class SMRs and is planned to supply power to AWS's AI data centers by 2039. Doosan Enerbility has established a partnership as a key equipment supplier by investing in X-energy's shares in 2023.
Doosan Enerbility and US private energy developer Fermi America signed an MOU to establish a comprehensive partnership regarding the supply of large nuclear power plant and SMR equipment for the AI campus project currently underway in Texas. Fermi America is an energy company leading the development of gigawatt-scale power grids essential for next-generation AI implementation and was co-founded by former US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry.
This project involves building the world's largest private power grid campus on a site of approximately 23.35 million square meters on the outskirts of Amarillo, Texas. Fermi America plans to implement an independent power supply infrastructure with a total capacity of 11GW, consisting of four AP1000 large nuclear reactors (4GW), SMRs (2GW), combined cycle gas power (4GW), and solar and battery energy storage systems (1GW), along with the phased development of a hyperscale AI data center.
In relation to this, on July 31, Fermi America signed an MOU with Hyundai Engineering & Construction to cooperate on project planning, design, and engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts.
On the same day, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and Samsung C&T also signed a cooperation MOU with Fermi America to ensure smooth progress in the construction and other aspects of the AI campus project.
Additionally, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power signed a memorandum of understanding and a contract to expand the supply of enriched uranium with Centrus Energy, a US supplier of nuclear fuel and services, for investment cooperation in uranium enrichment.
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, together with POSCO International, plans to make a joint investment in Centrus's enrichment facility. The three companies will promote joint domestic investment in a new centrifuge plant scheduled to be built in the United States and will continue discussions to expand cooperation in the enrichment business.
Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power also signed a contract to expand the supply volume of enriched uranium under the supply agreement signed with Centrus in February this year. Centrus is the only company authorized by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to produce high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), which is used as fuel for next-generation nuclear power plants and SMRs.
An official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated, "Based on their experience in nuclear power plant construction and outstanding technological capabilities, our companies are expected to participate more actively in nuclear power plant construction projects to meet the rapidly increasing electricity demand in the United States. We also expect to secure a stable supply of enriched uranium, a key material for nuclear power plant operation."
Meanwhile, Korea Gas Corporation has signed LNG import contracts with suppliers such as global energy company Trafigura. Through these agreements, Korea Gas Corporation announced that it will newly import approximately 3.3 million tons annually for about 10 years starting in 2028.
This long-term supply will be based on LNG projects, including the Corpus Christi facility operated by Cheniere in Texas. Korea Gas Corporation explained, "This contract will help diversify our sources of LNG imports, which were previously concentrated in the Middle East."
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