Korea to Supply Reactors for $120 Billion US Nuclear Project, Eyes Westinghouse Stake

South Korea and the United States have reached a tentative agreement under which Korean-made reactors will be deployed in a nuclear power project in the US worth roughly $120 billion, government and political sources said Wednesday, marking a significant deepening of bilateral atomic energy cooperation.

Under the emerging arrangement, state utility Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) and its nuclear subsidiary Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) are positioned to supply reactor technology for the project, which would rank among the largest cross-border nuclear builds ever undertaken by a Korean company. The talks come just two days after separate reports that Seoul is weighing construction of up to eight large reactors in the US, a plan that could absorb a substantial share of the $200 billion investment package South Korea pledged to Washington following last October's summit between President Lee Jae Myung and President Donald Trump in Gyeongju.

Alongside the reactor supply deal, the Korean government is also considering acquiring an equity stake in Westinghouse Electric Co., the storied American reactor maker. According to a ruling-party source, Seoul is seeking voting common shares in Westinghouse, though the size of the stake and the scope of voting rights remain under negotiation.

The prospective tie-up is notable given the two companies' history. KHNP and Westinghouse spent years locked in an intellectual-property dispute over reactor design technology before settling in January 2025, a breakthrough that helped clear the way for KHNP's landmark $19 billion contract to build two reactors in the Czech Republic using its APR1400 design. Turning former legal adversaries into partners for the far larger American market would mark a striking reversal, placing Korean firms alongside Westinghouse's AP1000 technology, which underpins reactors such as those at Georgia's Plant Vogtle.

For KEPCO, a successful deal would represent a major milestone in its push to expand internationally beyond the Czech win, opening access to the world's largest economy at a moment when demand for nuclear power is surging on the back of data-center and AI-driven electricity needs. It would also reinforce Seoul's broader strategy of using nuclear energy exports and US investment commitments as levers in its trade and security relationship with Washington.

Details of the arrangement, including the exact project location, financing structure and the final size of any Westinghouse stake, are still being worked out, sources cautioned, and an official announcement is expected only once negotiations are further along.