South Korea: a site for two new reactors is being sought.

The Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) company has officially launched the bidding process to select cities or municipalities where two new large-capacity nuclear reactors will be built. The announcement comes just a few days after the government confirmed plans to build these facilities by 2038.

The location selection process is based on the initiative of local authorities. City and municipal leaders have until March 30, 2026 to submit bids to host the planned reactors, whose total installed capacity will amount to 2.8 gigawatts (the South Korean APR-1400 reactor has a power of 1,400 megawatts).

KHNP has formed a location-selection committee, composed of external experts, to ensure objectivity. The planned sequence of activities is as follows:

• 2027: Final location selection.
• Early 2030s: Obtaining construction permits.
• 2037 and 2038: Planned completion of reactor construction.

Construction of these two large reactors is part of the 11th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand, which covers the period from 2024 to 2038. The Minister for Climate, Energy and Environment, Kim Sung-hvan, confirmed that this plan remains the country's strategic priority.

In addition to the two large reactors, the 11th plan also foresees the construction of 700 MW capacity in small modular reactors (SMRs) by 2038. According to Yonhap News Agency reports, interest in participating in the project has already been shown by several cities in the country’s southeast, including Busan and Ulsan.

Korea Herald also writes that, by all accounts, the race is going to be fierce. Indeed, this paper notes that competition is intense and that many cities are keen to host such projects because they potentially bring enormous benefits to the community, starting, of course, with well-paid jobs.