South Korea Breaks Ground On Nuclear Reactor Amid Global Energy Crisis

While the rest of the world scrambles to keep the lights on, South Korea is pouring concrete like it’s going out of style. The country just started building Shin Hanul unit 3 on May 28, 2025, marking the first safety-related concrete pour for the reactor building. It’s part of a nuclear building spree that would make construction crews dizzy.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect. Or ironic. Remember when everyone freaked out after Fukushima in 2011? South Korea was ready to dump nuclear power altogether. The country had actually suspended construction on Shin Hanul 3 and 4 in May 2017 due to a shift in national nuclear policy. Then President Yoon Suk-yeol came along and said, basically, “Yeah, no.” Complete 180-degree turn. Now they’re planning reactors through 2038 like they’re collecting Pokemon cards. The National Assembly just approved the 11th Basic Power Supply and Demand Plan on February 21, 2025, cementing the country’s nuclear expansion.

From nuclear phase-out to Pokemon-collecting reactors: South Korea’s atomic energy U-turn under President Yoon

Five plants are already in the pipeline. Shin Hanul unit 2 just went commercial in April 2024. Add Saeul units 3 and 4, plus Shin Hanul units 3 and 4, and you’ve got 7 GWe of power coming online.

But wait, there’s more. Two additional large reactors will add another 2.8 GWe. Plus 700 MW from Small Modular Reactors by 2038. SMRs should hit the market by 2035, assuming the paperwork gods smile upon them. Nuclear energy currently provides about 10% of global electricity while preventing approximately 1 Gt of CO2 emissions annually.

South Korea isn’t just building for itself. They snagged an $18 billion deal to build two 1,000 MW reactors in the Czech Republic. Construction starts in 2029, wraps up in 2037. It’s their first big export win since the UAE’s Barakah project back in 2009.

The government wants to export 10 plants by 2030. Ambitious? Sure. Impossible? We’ll see.

The government’s throwing money at this too. $100 million in financial support for 2025 alone. They’re betting big that nuclear expertise will pay off, especially with Trump planning 300 new reactors in the U.S. South Korean builders are practically salivating at the opportunities.

Czech Prime Minister Fiala says the Dukovany project will boost his country’s energy security. Translation: cheaper electricity, more reliable grid.

While Europe shivers through energy shortages and price spikes, South Korea’s building its way out of the crisis. Sometimes the old solutions work best.