South Korea has 25 nuclear power reactors with a total capacity of 24.7 GWe at the end of 2023. According to the state-run utility Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, in 2022, these plants generated nearly 30% of all electricity, up from 23% in 2018.

Atomic power would need to account for 40% to 45% of electricity supply, from about 30% now, for Korea to zero out its emissions by mid-century,

South Korea’s industry ministry said it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Dutch Economic Affairs ministry to support the new plant order. KHNP signed a memorandum of understanding with the Netherlands’ Economic Affairs & Climate Policy Ministry on the feasibility study.

Among the areas for cooperation, the partnership will see the UK and Korea commit to strengthening cooperation on civil nuclear, including on large-scale, small-scale and advanced reactors, decommissioning and waste management, and supply chains.

South Korea has been expanding its nuclear energy ambitions since President Yoon Suk-yeol assumed power in May 2022 and reversed former President Moon Jae-in's policy of phasing out nuclear power.

The SMR Alliance includes 11 government and public institutions, including the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE), Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and the Korea Energy Economics Institute, as well as 31 companies, including GS Energy, SK Inc, Samsung C&T, Daewoo E&C and Doosan Enerability.

The statement was signed in Seoul on 10 April by British Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps and South Korean Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Lee Chang-yang.

Last month, South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries announced it had completed the conceptual design for the CMSR Power Barge - a floating nuclear power plant based on compact MSRs It also obtained the basic certification of the design from the American Bureau of Shipping.

KEPCO CEO Seung-il Jeong presented the proposal to Fatih Dönmez, Turkey's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, on 30 January during a meeting in which they discussed plans for KEPCO to participate in the nuclear power plant project.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) also decided to invest $30bn in South Korea's industries, South Korea's presidential office said.