South Korean companies in US agreements

X-energy Reactor Company, Amazon, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corporation (KHNP) and Doosan Enerbility have teamed up to accelerate the deployment of X-energy's advanced small modular reactors and fuel in the USA; Centrus Energy has signed an agreement with KHNP and POSCO International to explore potential investment; and KHNP and Samsung C&T have signed an agreement with Fermi America to participate in the construction of a planned 11 GW power complex.

The strategic collaboration agreement signed by X-energy, Amazon, KHNP and Doosan Enerbility aims to accelerate the deployment of X-energy's Xe-100 advanced small modular reactors (SMRs) and TRISO-X fuel to meet growing power demands from data centres and artificial intelligence, the companies said. KHNP, Doosan, and additional Korean industrial partners have agreed to support Amazon and X-energy's plans to deploy more than five gigawatts of new nuclear energy across the United States by 2039.

"This partnership combines the world's leading innovators in nuclear technology, energy project delivery, and cloud infrastructure to collaborate on the development and cost-effective deployment of X-energy's advanced fourth generation reactor, delivering on the Trump administration's goal to deploy advanced nuclear reactor technologies," they said.

The agreement outlines collaboration across reactor engineering design, supply chain development, construction planning, investment strategies, long-term operations, and global opportunities for joint AI-nuclear deployment. Aligned with the recent USD350 billion trade deal between the USA and the Republic of Korea, the companies said they aim to mobilise "up to USD50 billion in public and private investment to support the future of nuclear energy in the US".

"Data centres are the critical infrastructure needed to support AI leadership, and their power needs continue to accelerate to meet the growing needs of our customers," Amazon Web Services Head of Worldwide Energy Vibhu Kaushik said. "By forming this partnership with KHNP and Doosan along with X-energy, we're continuing to pursue innovative carbon-free solutions and technology to help meet the increasing energy demand, and we're excited that this will help us enable over five gigawatts of new nuclear energy in the US."

X-energy is advancing the deployment of its Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, as well as TRISO-X fuel, and the agreement builds on the company's existing relationships with strategic Korean partners, including DL E&C, a leading engineering and construction services company with whom X-energy has partnered since 2023.

"This partnership brings together proven nuclear leadership and experience from Korean industry and X-energy's advanced reactor and fuel technology to meet a historic energy challenge," X-energy CEO Clay Sell said. "By combining our expertise, we are ensuring that we are best positioned to accelerate the Xe-100 SMR into the marketplace with the unique knowledge and skills developed throughout the South Korea industrial supply chain."

Doosan has agreed to secure the manufacturing capabilities required for the successful deployment of Xe-100 modules, the companies said.

Supporting enrichment

The Memorandum of Understanding between Centrus Energy, KHNP and POSCO International to explore potential investment to support expansion of Centrus's uranium enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio is aimed at deepening US-Korea cooperation on civilian nuclear energy, Centrus said. Centrus and KHNP also agreed to an increase in the volume of low-enriched uranium to be supplied under a contract they signed in February.

Centrus President and CEO Amir Vexler said the agreement "reflects strong demand for a US-owned uranium enrichment capability and another potential avenue for private investment capital to bring added supply diversity and competition to the marketplace - and meet Korea's need for affordable, reliable fuel supplies for both new and existing reactors."

Like the initial supply contract signed by Centrus and KHNP in February, the expanded supply volume is contingent upon Centrus receiving the necessary federal funding to build the new LEU production capacity at Piketon. Centrus said federal investment - for which it is competing - "is crucial to achieving economies of scale and enabling a US-owned enrichment capacity to compete against foreign, state-owned enterprises that currently have almost 100% of the world's uranium enrichment capacity".

The latest MoU, which is non-binding, is aimed at facilitating additional private sector capital to support the potential expansion of Centrus's enrichment capacity in Ohio, and also calls for the companies to explore additional opportunities for cooperation, such as additional supply agreements for LEU and for high-assay low-enriched uranium.

HyperGrid campus support

In a further announcement during South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung's visit to the US - a visit which included bilateral talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House - KHNP said it had signed an MoU with Samsung C&T and private US energy company Fermi America to participate in the construction of Fermi's planned 11 GW advanced energy complex near Amarillo, Texas.

Fermi - co-founded by former US Secretary of Energy Rick Perry - announced its plans for what it has described as the world's largest energy-driven artificial intelligence complex in June. The "HyperGrid" campus aims to integrate large-scale nuclear power plants, SMRs, and other power sources including combined-cycle natural gas, utility grid power, solar power, and battery energy storage.

The agreement establishes a foundation for KHNP to enter the US market, the company said.