Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power is preparing to bring its APR1400 reactor to American soil for the first time. Seoul and Washington are in advanced negotiations over a $120 billion deal to build eight large nuclear reactors in the United States, with a signing expected as early as September 18, 2026.
The plan, which emerged from South Korean government and parliamentary sources, is part of a broader $350 billion investment framework that Seoul committed to deploying in the US in exchange for a reduction in reciprocal tariffs from 25% to 15%, an agreement reached in October 2025. Eight reactors are on the table in total. The first two would be built using the APR1400 design — South Korea’s independently developed model, rated at 1,400 megawatts per unit. Another two would be built by the United States, likely using Westinghouse Electric‘s AP1000 technology. The remaining four are still under negotiation.
Washington had initially proposed ten AP1000 reactors, all of American manufacture. Seoul pushed to include at least two units of its own homegrown design and secured a significant concession. If confirmed, the APR1400 would enter the US market for the first time in history, setting a meaningful precedent for South Korea’s nuclear export ambitions. According to the Wall Street Journal, some of the land earmarked for construction is federally owned.
The package also includes an already-defined first project: a $22.3 billion combined-cycle gas plant in Encinal, Texas, intended to power artificial intelligence data centers. AI-driven energy demand is the real engine behind this deal. Washington is seeking stable, high-capacity power sources to support the country’s digital infrastructure expansion — and nuclear energy answers that need better than any other option.
An unexpected variable has also entered the picture: the possibility that South Korea could acquire a stake in Westinghouse Electric, currently 51% owned by Brookfield and 49% by Cameco. A share in Westinghouse would strengthen South Korea’s position on intellectual property issues tied to the APR1400, following the resolution in January 2025 of a legal dispute between Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, KEPCO, and Westinghouse over the use of American technology in the reactor’s design. Any acquisition would, however, require the approval of the current shareholders.
If the deal is formalized on its current terms, South Korea would cement its standing as one of the world’s leading nuclear technology exporters — with an active contract in the largest and most high-profile market on the planet. For the industry as a whole, it would be a validation that any future international buyer would find hard to overlook.
