KHNP opens bid to select candidate sites for new nuclear reactors

The state-run Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) has opened a bidding process to select candidate sites to host two new nuclear reactors to be built by 2038, company officials said Friday. The KHNP began the bidding process just a few days after the government confirmed plans to build two large-scale nuclear reactors between 2037 and 2038 as outlined under the 11th basic plan for electricity supply and demand. On Monday, the climate ministry said it will stick to the country's plan to build additional nuclear reactors, citing growing power demand driven by the growth of the artificial intelligence (AI) sector and the need to increase the use of clean energy. Since then, a number of cities and towns, including the southeastern cities of Busan and Ulsan, have reportedly shown interest in hosting the new nuclear reactors. The KHNP plans to select sites for the new reactors by 2027 to receive the nuclear safety watchdog's approval for the construction plan by 2031. The KHNP said it has also opened a bidding process to select the host site for a next-generation small modular reactor.