Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP)’s discussion on climate change, nuclear power’s role in power supply in an AI Era, and energy transition strategies received a good reception.
The Future Tech Forum, a side event of the APEC 2025 Korea, took place under six themes – shipbuilding, defense industry, culture/distribution, AI, digital asset and future energy, at Gyeongju Arts Center from Oct. 27.
The “Future Energy Session” took place at KHNP headquarters in Gyeongju on Oct. 30. The session was attended by major Korean energy companies, including “Team Korea” member companies, such as Doosan Enerbility, KEPCO E&C, KEPCO KPS and KEPCO Nuclear Fuel.
Some 500 people, including global nuclear and energy notables, such as Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the U.S. Nuclear Energy Institute, and Petr Závodský, CEO of CEZ subsidiary Elektrárna Dukovany II, participated in the session.
In a welcoming speech, KHNP Senior Executive Vice President Cho Seok-jin said, “Global energy demand is on a sharp rise, so we have to explore innovative and practical ways to achieve carbon neutrality goals and step up cooperation in clean and reliable energy supply for the purpose of the economic growth of the APEC region and climate change responses.”
He said the power demand structure is changing fast in the wake of the spread of the AI industry and rising data centers, and the role of nuclear power is getting more and more significant as energy sources to cope with these changes.
Senior Executive Vice President Cho, stressing joint efforts to achieve common goals, such as energy security and carbon neutrality, introduced examples of promoting cooperation with companies, including ones form the United States.
Dignitaries, including KHNP Senior Executive Vice President Cho Seok-jin, Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the U.S. Nuclear Energy Institute, and Petr Závodský, CEO of CEZ subsidiary Elektrárna Dukovany II, participated in the Future Tech Forum.
KHNP is seeking to establish a joint venture with ARC Clean
Technology (ARC), a U.S. small modular reactor company. The power company is focusing on market entry in the North America by discussing a joint-venture case with Westinghouse of the United States.
KHNP is trying to secure proprietary technologies and promote cooperation by investing into companies, such as NewScale Power and TerraPower.
Early this year, KHNP promised to stop intellectual property claim procedures with Westinghouse, and both sides agreed to promote cooperation in the global nuclear power market in the future.
Senior Executive Vice President Cho said, “We want to expand cooperative channels with U.S. policy-makers and build stable fuel supply chains with a variety of companies.”
At a panel discussion on nuclear power as an essential energy source in an era of AI, Korean and international participants in the industry, financial and academic circles pondered tasks and ways of promoting cooperation in the industry perspective under the theme “Carbon-free and Stable Future Energy Spearheading Industrial Paradigm Shift.”
President Korsnick of the U.S. Nuclear Energy Institute said, “Power demand is showing signs of explosive growth on the back of the spreading of AI and data infrastructure, and nuclear power is the sole practical solution to achieve not only carbon neutrality but also energy security.”
Chmn. Závodský of Elektrárna Dukovany II said, “The Czech Republic is considering introducing next-generation SMRs and Korea’s nuclear power technology power and industry ecosystem have become an excellent mode of promoting international cooperation.”
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