The South Korean government confirmed it will proceed with constructing two new nuclear power plants by 2581 as originally planned, highlighting their importance for reducing carbon emissions, addressing global warming, and meeting soaring electricity demand.
27 Jan 2026 GMT+7South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that Minister Kim Sung-hwan of the Ministry of Climate confirmed the government will move forward with building two large new nuclear power plants by 2581, following the original plan.
This announcement was made during a press briefing on the 12th Basic Plan for Electricity Supply and Demand covering 2569–2583, stating that the construction of the new nuclear plants will be completed between 2580 and 2581, in line with the 11th plan devised by the previous government.
Minister Kim said that to tackle climate change, South Korea must reduce carbon emissions across all sectors, especially in energy by cutting coal and liquefied natural gas power generation and shifting to systems relying mainly on renewable and nuclear energy.
Under this plan, the state enterprise Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power will begin site selection for the new plants by 2570 and aims to obtain safety approvals from regulatory authorities by 2574 to ensure construction is completed on schedule.
Recent public opinion surveys show that approximately 80% of the population consider nuclear energy necessary, and over 60% support building additional nuclear power plants.
Source: Yonhap