Nuclear Energy Now tracks the latest nuclear energy developments across technology, diplomacy, industry trends, and geopolitics.
Taiwan’s Referendum on Nuclear Energy
Taiwan will vote this weekend on whether to restart a nuclear reactor at the Maanshan nuclear plant, just three months after shutting down its last unit and declaring itself “nuclear-free.” The referendum, launched by opposition parties, comes as power shortages, price hikes, and rising grid instability have fueled public support for nuclear energy, with recent polling showing that two-thirds of Taiwanese back nuclear energy to reach Taiwan’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. Critics of the phase-out also argue that Taiwan’s 95 percent reliance on imported fossil fuels leaves it exposed to a potential Chinese blockade. While President Donald Trump recently said that Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him that China would not invade Taiwan while he was in office, Beijing still upholds a policy of reunification, making the long-term potential for an invasion still a very real risk. Meanwhile, President Lai Ching-te and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party remain firmly opposed to the referendum, calling the nuclear shutdown a “historic” milestone. Even if passed, the referendum is only set to be valid for two years, and regulatory hurdles mean the restart could be delayed or ignored—making the vote more a signal of Taiwan’s changing mood than a guarantee of policy change.
South Korea’s Nuclear Export Market Shrinks
South Korea’s Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) and Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) will be unable to bid on new nuclear power plant projects in North America, the United Kingdom, the EU (excluding the Czech Republic), Ukraine and Japan following a January 2025 settlement with Westinghouse over intellectual property disputes—leaving Westinghouse with sole access to those markets. KHNP and KEPCO will, however, be able to bid on projects in Southeast and Central Asia, South America, the Middle East, South Africa, and Northern Africa. Additionally, as part of the settlement, KHNP is obliged to pay royalties of roughly $143 million per export project and guarantee Westinghouse contracts worth more than $714 million. The deal has already reshaped KHNP’s presence in Europe: the company has withdrawn from Poland’s nuclear plans after the new government halted state-owned enterprise participation, as well as from projects in Sweden, Slovenia, and the Netherlands.
The settlement has drawn sharp criticism from South Korean lawmakers, who have called the settlement a “slave contract” that “surrenders nuclear sovereignty to the US,” just as Seoul seeks to position nuclear exports as a growth industry. As a result, the South Korean government has ordered a probe into the agreement. This backdrop may complicate President Lee Jae Myung’s visit to Washington, which many had hoped would bolster the US–South Korean nuclear partnership. KHNP’s chief executive is also set to meet Westinghouse leaders to discuss a potential joint venture on US and European projects, a move that could now expand South Korea’s presence in developed economies but may also cement its position as a junior partner under the current terms of the settlement. For the United States, the deal consolidates leverage at a time when President Donald Trump has pledged to quadruple nuclear energy capacity by 2050, while for Seoul, it raises questions about whether cooperation with the United States will accelerate growth or limit South Korea’s nuclear export ambitions.
Texas Eyes HALEU for Advanced Nuclear Reactors
Amid America’s push to deploy more nuclear power and strengthen nuclear fuel supply chains—particularly securing high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) for advanced reactors—Fermi America, co-founded by former US Energy Secretary Rick Perry, has signed an agreement with ASP Isotopes and Quantum Leap Energy (QLE) to explore building a HALEU enrichment facility in Texas. The proposed facility would not only produce HALEU but also handle conversion, deconversion, and fuel assembly fabrication, potentially making Texas a major hub for advanced nuclear fuel. The project builds on ASP’s existing supply agreements with TerraPower, including supporting the first fuel cores for its Natrium reactor in Wyoming and a 10-year deal for up to 150 tonnes of HALEU starting in 2028. If pursued, the Texas facility would become QLE’s second HALEU production site. With DOE-backed demonstration projects moving forward but HALEU supply lagging, private ventures such as this could play an important role in bridging the gap between policy ambitions and actual reactor deployment—though success will depend on navigating cost, licensing, and the scale-up of an industry that currently produces no commercial HALEU inside the United States.
About the Author: Emily Day
Emily Day is an experienced researcher, writer, and editor with expertise in geopolitics, nuclear energy, and global security. She is an Associate Editor of Energy World and Techland at The National Interest and a Research Associate at Longview Global Advisors, where she provides insights on global political and economic trends with a specialization in utilities, risk, sustainability, and technology. She was previously a Della Ratta Energy and Global Security Fellow at the Partnership for Global Security.
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