Prime Minister Han Meets Bill Gates to Discuss Energy Mix of Renewable Energy and SMRs

Prime Minister Han Sung-sook met with Bill Gates, chairman of the board of directors of TerraPower, today (the 14th) to discuss South Korea-U.S. cooperation on next-generation small modular reactors (SMRs) and global energy solutions for the artificial intelligence (AI) era, the Prime Minister's Office said.

During the meeting held at the Government Complex Seoul this afternoon, Prime Minister Han introduced that South Korea is pursuing three major projects in response to the AI transformation era, noting that "power supply to support this is also crucial."

She went on to emphasize that "(the government) is exploring an energy mix utilizing renewable energy and SMRs."

The Prime Minister also highly praised the fact that South Korean companies and research institutions are cooperating with TerraPower across the entire lifecycle, from investment to manufacturing and construction, in the next-generation SMR sector, according to the Prime Minister's Office.

In response, Chairman Gates agreed with "the South Korean government's efforts to respond to changes in the energy paradigm."

He added, "South Korea has accumulated experience through the construction and operation of nuclear power plants and the capability to implement difficult large-scale projects, which will greatly contribute to achieving future global carbon neutrality and fostering an innovative SMR ecosystem. We will further strengthen strategic partnerships with South Korean companies."

The government plans to improve the regulatory framework, which has focused primarily on large-scale nuclear reactors, to encompass SMRs, and actively support early commercialization by backing the development of various SMR types.

(Photo: Provided by the Prime Minister's Office, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.