South Korea expects a substantial rise in power demand over coming years as
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix expand chip capacity and the country builds new
AI data centers, the energy minister said. AI load alone could add about 25–30
GW. The government will publish a revised long-term energy plan next month,
extending the planning horizon two years to 2040; a key question is whether to
approve additional nuclear reactors. If the extra 25–30 GW were supplied
entirely by nuclear under current domestic reactor designs, that would imply
roughly 20 new reactors; South Korea currently operates 26 reactors.
