Gaon Cable, an affiliate of South Korea’s LS Group, is entering the American nuclear power cable market. The company will install new production lines at its U.S. facility, LSCUS, located in Tarboro, North Carolina, to supply specialized cables for both large conventional reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs). The announcement was made on Monday, October 12.
The Tarboro plant is already operational in the manufacturing of overhead transmission lines. With this expansion, LSCUS is broadening its portfolio into a technically demanding product category: cables for nuclear facilities cover power, control, and instrumentation systems, and a single plant can require more than 50,000 electrical circuits. Each cable must meet specifications tied to its location and intended function, making production highly differentiated and low-volume for each type. Gaon Cable stated that LSCUS will begin the certification process required to operate within the U.S. nuclear supply chain, leveraging specialty cable technology already developed by its Korean parent company.
This decision comes against the backdrop of rapidly accelerating U.S. electricity demand, driven by AI data centers. The Tarboro facility already operates a medium-voltage cable line serving that very industry, allowing Gaon Cable to scale quickly once it secures its first nuclear customers. The company has also announced a $50 million investment at the same plant by April 2025, aimed at doubling medium-voltage cable production capacity. Both trajectories — data centers and nuclear — are fueled by the same underlying driver: the need for robust, certified electrical infrastructure capable of handling critical loads.
Gaon Cable is also looking to collaborate with Korean nuclear companies already present in, or entering, U.S. projects. South Korea’s nuclear supply chain has built a significant international footprint in recent years, and local production of components such as cables shortens procurement lead times while addressing growing pressure for American-made content. Anticipated demand is not limited to new builds: cable replacement at existing plants also represents a meaningful market segment, with dozens of operational reactors requiring periodic upgrades to their internal electrical infrastructure.
If the U.S. nuclear market expands over the coming years as projected — with new SMRs coming online and life extensions for existing reactors — Gaon Cable will be well-positioned to capitalize: a factory already on U.S. soil, certified technology, and established ties with leading Korean industry players. The choice of Tarboro is no coincidence: North Carolina already ranks among the states with the highest share of nuclear energy in its electricity mix, with nuclear power accounting for nearly 32% of generation in 2025. The industrial foundation is solid.
