The US-South Korea nuclear energy partnership is a perfect focus for President Trump’s new focus on nuclear energy.
Note: This article is part of the Center’s symposium on nuclear energy. To read other articles in the symposium, go here.
The global electricity market is experiencing unprecedented growth, with the International Energy Agency projecting demand to more than double from 25,000 TWh in 2021 to approximately 54,000 TWh by 2050. The United States expects demand for electricity to grow by 28 percent by 2050. The US electricity market is also undergoing rapid transformation, driven by electrification in transportation and industry, as well as surging demand from AI data centers.
Amid this background, President Donald Trump’s ambitious goal of quadrupling US nuclear energy by 2050 represents more than just an energy policy—it’s a strategic imperative that could reshape global power dynamics. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) recent upward revision of the nuclear outlook, projecting a 2.6-fold increase in global capacity to 992 GW by 2050, underscores this emerging consensus. As IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi noted, “Nuclear power is indispensable for achieving clean, reliable and sustainable energy for all.”
However, achieving this nuclear renaissance requires addressing the fundamental challenges that have long plagued the industry.
The Traditional Nuclear Dilemma
Conventional large-scale nuclear power plants (NPPs) face significant challenges, including massive construction costs exceeding $15 billion per unit, construction timelines that extend beyond a decade, and inherent safety vulnerabilities, as exemplified by disasters such as Fukushima. The risk of core meltdown remains a critical weakness, and expensive safety measures—such as emergency core cooling systems and containment buildings—provide mitigation, rather than fundamental solutions. NPPs also require costly, high-voltage transmission lines to deliver electricity to consumers, which have sparked strong local conflicts in some countries, such as South Korea.
Water-cooled small modular reactors (SMRs), while garnering significant attention, cannot eliminate probability of a core meltdown. Nuclear accidents can stem from natural disasters, human error, mechanical failure, sabotage, terrorism, or military attacks. Moreover, SMRs suffer from negative economies of scale, making them economically challenging.
The TRISO Fuel Game-Changer
The breakthrough lies in TRISO fuel technology, which was developed by the US Department of Energy. This revolutionary fuel design coats uranium with multiple layers of graphite and ceramic, enabling it to resist melting at temperatures exceeding 2,000 degrees Celsius while preventing the release of radioactive material. This technology has catalyzed the development of micro-modular reactors (MMRs).
The versatility of MMRs is already being demonstrated through concrete deployments: the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has signed a contract for campus deployment. Data center operator Equinix signed a preorder agreement with Radiant Nuclear (a microreactor developer) for 20 of its microreactors in August 2025. The US Department of Defense has recently committed to installing MMRs on military bases by 2028. This adaptability across diverse environments—from university campuses to data centers and military installations—suggests that MMRs could play a pivotal role in achieving President Trump’s quadrupling goal.
The South Korean Strategic Advantage
South Korea emerges as an indispensable partner in this nuclear transformation. The country possesses world-class forging, turbine, and heavy engineering capabilities, which are essential for scaling nuclear energy programs. More importantly, South Korea has successfully merged advanced manufacturing technology with its nuclear expertise.
The paradigm shift from on-site construction to factory manufacturing, followed by on-site assembly—also known as modular manufacturing—enables dramatic reductions in construction timelines and costs. This approach aligns perfectly with MMR deployment strategies and could revolutionize nuclear economics.
The strategic partnership between Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Doosan Enerbility, X-Energy, and Amazon to construct five GW of nuclear capacity in the United States by 2039 exemplifies the potential for next-generation nuclear commercialization. This collaboration demonstrates how South Korean industrial prowess can accelerate American nuclear energy ambitions.
Addressing Proliferation Concerns
Amid a surge in the development of MMRs in America, a critical challenge remains. Approximately two-thirds of current MMR designs propose using weapons-usable nuclear fuels, which means about 20 percent U-235 enriched uranium. This creates significant supply chain issues and security concerns, necessitating extensive protective measures. For global MMR deployment, MMR designs must utilize non-weapons-usable nuclear fuels—uranium enriched by less than 12 percent U-235.
Regulatory Harmonization Imperative
As the United States streamlines advanced reactor licensing procedures, South Korea should establish mutual recognition frameworks between its Nuclear Safety and Security Commission and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The objective is to minimize regulatory duplication and reduce approval timelines to within two years—a crucial factor for commercial viability.
Geopolitical Imperatives
This urgency extends beyond energy security to geopolitical competition. Countering state-owned nuclear export companies from Russia and China represents a shared democratic objective. A robust US-South Korea MMR partnership could effectively compete with authoritarian rivals in global nuclear energy markets while jointly leading international efforts in nuclear safety and security.
This partnership ensures technological superiority for this democratic alliance in its efforts to counter nuclear technology proliferation by China and Russia—a strategic necessity in an increasingly multipolar world.
The Path Forward
Addressing the triple challenge of the climate crisis, achieving carbon neutrality, and meeting soaring electricity demand requires a “smart energy mix” based on technological innovation. TRISO-based MMRs, with their inherent safety advantages, provide a perfect complement to the intermittency challenges of renewable energy.
Success demands coordinated action: strategic investment in next-generation micro-nuclear technology, comprehensive regulatory reform, and a deep partnership between the United States and South Korea. Democratic leadership in next-generation nuclear technology is pivotal.
President Trump’s goal of quadrupling nuclear energy by 2050 is achievable, but only through strategic partnerships that leverage complementary strengths and capabilities. The US-South Korea nuclear alliance represents more than energy cooperation—it’s a cornerstone of democratic technological leadership in the 21st century. The time for action is now.
About the Author: Jung-min Kang
Dr. Jung-min Kang is the CEO of Nuton Energy and a former chairman of South Korea’s Nuclear Safety and Security Commission. He has been a senior research fellow at the Natural Resources Defense Council, a visiting professor at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in South Korea, and a scholar at Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation and the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He is a former postdoc at Princeton’s Program on Science and Global Security. He is a coauthor of the book Plutonium: How Nuclear Power’s Dream Fuel Became a Nightmare (Springer, 2019). Dr. Kang received a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from Tokyo University, Japan, and M.S. and B.S. degrees in nuclear engineering from Seoul National University, South Korea.
Image: Shutterstock/Prehistorik
