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South Korea's Woori Technology Wins Supply Contract for Control Systems for Kori Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4

Woori Technology announced on August 20 that it has signed a supply contract with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to provide equipment and technical support for the Plant Monitoring System (PMS) facility improvement project for Units 3 and 4 of the Kori Nuclear Power Plant. According to the disclosed information, the contract amount is KRW 8.4726 billion, approximately KRW 8.5 billion, excluding value-added tax, accounting for 9.72% of Woori Technology's consolidated sales in 2025. The contract period runs from August 19, 2026 to February 21, 2028, with sales and supply limited to South Korea, and the supply method is in-house production. Under the contract arrangement, Woori Technology will...

2026-08-20

TerraPower Plans to Deepen South Korean Supply Chain Cooperation to Advance K-Sodium SMR Business Model

TerraPower CEO Chris Levesque recently stated that South Korea possesses strong nuclear supply chain capabilities, with both a foundation in small modular reactor (SMR) construction and familiarity with the stable power demands of AI data centers, semiconductors, and other industries. TerraPower plans to further strengthen cooperation with South Korean companies in supply chain and project manufacturing. Levesque stated that small modular reactors are not a technology intended to replace traditional large-scale nuclear power plants, but rather a new class of energy solution targeting incremental electricity demand in the AI era. He recently met with TerraPower Chairman Bill...

2026-08-19

South Korea Has Not Yet Decided Whether to Include New Nuclear Power in the 12th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand

South Korea's Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment, Kim Sung-hwan, said during a meeting with reporters at the Sejong Government Complex on August 18 that the government has not yet reached a conclusion on whether to include new nuclear power plants in the 12th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand. Kim said that government policy cannot be determined solely by the personal will of the minister in charge, and it is not appropriate to make premature statements at this stage. He emphasized that related matters will be decided after going through the necessary deliberation process. Regarding whether nuclear power will be included in the 12th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, the government plans to clarify the direction of discussion as soon as possible, including how public opinions will be reflected, how the review procedures involving experts and public participation will be structured, and what methods will be used to conduct debates or public discussions before the plan is released...

2026-08-19

Automatic Shutdown of Unit 4 at South Korea's Hanul Nuclear Power Plant, Regulator Launches Investigation

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) of South Korea reported on August 19 that Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (KHNP) had reported the same day that Unit 4 of the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant, located in Uljin County, North Gyeongsang Province, automatically shut down at approximately 8:50 a.m. The NSSC stated that Unit 4 of the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant is currently in a stable condition. No abnormal alarms were triggered by on-site radiation monitors, and no leakage of radioactive materials to the outside environment has been detected. According to the notification, the NSSC's regional office for the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant is conducting inspections of on-site safety conditions. The regulatory body also plans to dispatch an investigation team comprising experts from the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) to the site to further confirm the cause of the automatic shutdown and related safety conditions.

2026-08-19

Korea's COSMAX Partners with Pohang Accelerator Laboratory to Use Synchrotron Radiation Accelerator for Cosmetics R&D

COSMAX, a global cosmetics ODM company, announced on the 18th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL) in Korea to conduct cosmetics R&D using advanced scientific and technological infrastructure such as the synchrotron radiation accelerator. At the MOU signing ceremony held at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, COSMAX Group Chairman Lee Kyung-soo (left) poses with PAL Director Kim Jae-young. / Photo provided by COSMAX. According to reports, the Pohang Synchrotron Radiation Accelerator (PLS-II) operated by the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory generates light more than 10 billion times brighter than sunlight, enabling atomic-scale analysis of nanoscale material structures. Currently, the facility has been used for microstructural research across multiple industrial fields, including new drugs, semiconductors, and new materials.

2026-08-18

Gyeongju City, South Korea, Promotes Cooperation with Uzbekistan in Nuclear Power and Water Resources

Gyeongju City, South Korea, is pushing to expand exchange and cooperation with Uzbekistan in areas such as nuclear power and water resource management. Gyeongju City stated on August 13 that Mayor Joo Nak-young met with an economic delegation from Kashkadarya Province, Uzbekistan, at the external cooperation office in the city hall that day. The delegation included Deputy Mayor of Bukak City Karimov Bakhtiyor Ismoilovich, as well as business figures from major industrial sectors in Kashkadarya Province. Prior to visiting the Gyeongju City government, the delegation toured the Wolseong Nuclear Power Plant operated by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), as well as Gyeongju City's public sewage treatment plant and water quality research building. The delegation gained on-site insights into...

2026-08-18

South Korea's Gyeongbuk East Coast Nuclear Power Belt Proposed as National AI Training Center

On August 17, the Gyeongbuk Research Institute proposed developing the nuclear power-concentrated region on the east coast of North Gyeongsang Province into a national artificial intelligence (AI) training center to accommodate high-energy computing demands such as large-scale model training and retraining. The research suggests that if the South Korean government expands AI data centers to 18.4 gigawatts in the long term, power supply and grid connection capacity in the capital area and metropolitan regions could approach their limits. To alleviate power and network load pressures, real-time inference and user-facing services could be deployed in the capital area and major cities, while large-scale training and retraining facilities could be located in developing regions with access to power sources. The east coast of North Gyeongsang Province is home to Hanul...

2026-08-18

South Korea's Nuclear Expansion Faces Fuel Supply Pressure as Enriched Uranium Costs Surge Nearly Sixfold in Seven Years

Against the backdrop of accelerating global nuclear power construction and surging electricity demand from AI data centers, the nuclear fuel supply chain is facing new tensions. Due to limited uranium enrichment capacity and sanctions affecting Russian-related supplies, international uranium enrichment prices have risen sharply over the past seven years. South Korea's nuclear expansion plans are consequently facing fuel procurement pressure, with industry experts concerned that if mid- to long-term nuclear fuel security proves insufficient, newly built nuclear units could face operational risks in the future. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) recently disclosed that South Korea's domestic annual enriched uranium consumption is expected to increase from approximately 460 tons currently to about 540 tons next year. The rising demand mainly stems from the overlap between life-extension operations of some older nuclear units and the commissioning of new units...

2026-08-18

Hyundai E&C Signs Framework Agreement with TerraPower for Natrium Nuclear Power Plant Project

Hyundai Engineering & Construction announced on the 18th that it has signed a framework agreement with U.S. nuclear energy company TerraPower for the execution of the Natrium next-generation nuclear power plant project. Under the agreement, Hyundai E&C has been granted priority status to serve as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) general contractor for up to eight additional Natrium nuclear units developed by TerraPower. The signing ceremony was attended by senior executives from both companies, including Hyundai E&C CEO Lee Han-woo and TerraPower CEO Chris Levesque. The two parties plan to expand cooperation in the nuclear energy sector and jointly explore new business opportunities...

2026-08-18

South Korea's domestically developed lunar radiation detector to travel to the Moon aboard NASA commercial lunar lander

The Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) announced on August 17 that the Lunar Space Radiation Detector (LVRAD), independently developed by South Korea, will be mounted on a lander under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to conduct observations of the radiation environment on the lunar south pole surface. The two sides signed the relevant implementation agreement on August 14. Under the agreement, KASA plans to complete the development of the flight model of the detector by next year and deliver the equipment to the United States in accordance with the NASA lunar lander mission schedule. NASA will be responsible for integrating the Korean-developed detector onto the commercial lunar lander and supporting its operation and data transmission on the lunar surface after launch. LVRAD consists of...

2026-08-17

Korean Hospital Team Develops AI Model to Improve Bone Metastasis Detection Using PET/CT and Other Information

A research team at Seoul Metropolitan Government Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center has recently developed an artificial intelligence model capable of identifying bone metastases that are difficult to detect on CT images. By incorporating MRI and PET/CT information during the training process, the model enables lesions that are inconspicuous on CT and prone to being missed to be included in the training data, thereby enhancing detection capability. Bone metastasis is an important basis for determining cancer staging and formulating treatment plans. If lesions are not clearly visible on CT images, bone metastasis may be detected late and may lead to complications such as pathological fractures and spinal cord compression. Previous related AI studies have largely relied on lesions clearly visible on CT to build training data, and the research team believes that this approach may...

2026-08-17

SK Deepens Cooperation with TerraPower, Targeting Nuclear Power Supply for AI Data Centers

According to industry sources, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won recently met with TerraPower Board Chairman Bill Gates in Seoul. The two sides exchanged views on next-generation nuclear power technology, electricity demand from AI data centers, and global energy cooperation. (From left to right) TerraPower CEO Chris Leveque, SK Innovation CEO Choo Hyung-wook, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, TerraPower Board Chairman Bill Gates, and TerraPower Senior Vice President of Business Development Jeff Miller at a meeting before a dinner at Seonhyewon restaurant in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on August 14, 2026...

2026-08-17

Korea Eximbank to Promote Financial Cooperation with TerraPower on Small Modular Reactors

The Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM) is in talks on financial cooperation with TerraPower, a U.S. next-generation nuclear energy company, with both sides planning to establish a support mechanism centered on the commercialization of small modular reactors (SMRs) and overseas market expansion. According to KEXIM, bank Chairman Hwang Gi-yeon recently met with TerraPower Chairman Bill Gates, and the two sides exchanged views on expanding the global SMR ecosystem and advancing Korea-U.S. next-generation nuclear energy cooperation. TerraPower was founded by Bill Gates in 2008 and focuses on developing next-generation nuclear energy technologies. The company has developed the "Natrium" next-generation reactor using sodium-cooling techn...

2026-08-16

Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety to Host First Advanced Reactor Safety Technology Symposium

The Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety (KINS) announced that it will host the 1st Symposium on Advanced Reactor Safety Technology (SARST 2026) on September 1-2, 2026, at the Grand Ballroom on the first floor of the Commodore Hotel Busan. The event aims to facilitate exchanges on domestic and international advanced reactor technology trends and safety regulation issues, promoting technical communication and cooperation among regulatory bodies, developers, and research institutions. As the inaugural symposium, SARST is planned to be held annually thereafter. This year's conference will be divided into a plenary session and two technical sessions, covering topics such as the development of regulatory frameworks for advanced reactors, regulatory research progress, responses to standard design certification for innovative small modular reactors (i-SMR), and verification plans for related design features, among other subjects.

2026-08-16

KHNP Maps Out SMR Security System to Address Drone and Nuclear Material Threats

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) is preparing to establish a new security response system for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and decommissioned nuclear power plants. Due to their smaller size and more flexible deployment methods, SMRs may be distributed across different regions in the future, and the security risks they face are not entirely identical to those of traditional large-scale nuclear power plants. KHNP plans to launch a research service on physical protection implementation plans related to new nuclear energy projects in September, focusing on assessing risks such as terrorist attacks, external intrusion, theft of nuclear materials, facility sabotage, and drone attacks. Physical protection refers to a nuclear security system established for nuclear materials and nuclear facilities, encompassing prevention, detection, interdiction, and emergency response.

2026-08-15