Korea selects Texas power plant as 1st US investment project

Korea has selected a natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in Encinal, Texas, as the first project under its $200 billion strategic investment commitment to the United States. Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan briefed a National Assembly committee Tuesday and said two other projects are also being planned. The Texas project is estimated at $22.3 billion and is intended to meet rising power demand from semiconductor plants and AI data centers in Texas. The government said the broader investment framework will stay within the $200 billion ceiling and cap annual funding at $20 billion.

The Texas project is planned to have about 6.3 gigawatts of generating capacity and is expected to start with a 1.4-gigawatt gas turbine facility before adding about 4.9 gigawatts in stages.

Korea estimates the Texas project will generate about $43.29 billion to $45.43 billion over 20 years, enough to recover principal and interest on the investment.

The broader U.S. investment package tied to the bilateral trade deal totals $350 billion, with $150 billion earmarked for shipbuilding.

The two other projects under consideration are eight large nuclear reactors in the U.S. and an Alaska LNG project.

Kim said Korea's strategic investment will not exceed $200 billion and annual funding will be capped at $20 billion under the framework.

Published Sep 22, 2026 11:03 am KST

Updated Sep 22, 2026 4:35 pm KST

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan speaks during a plenary session of the National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap

Korea has selected a natural gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in Encinal, Texas, as the first project under its $200 billion strategic investment commitment to the United States. It is also drawing up plans for two further projects related to the construction of eight nuclear reactors and an Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) project.

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan briefed the National Assembly's Trade, Industry, Energy, SMEs, and Startups Committee on the projects Tuesday, saying the government had decided on the first project following reviews by committees chaired by the industry and finance ministers.

“Today, I would like to report on one project the government has decided to pursue,” Kim said during the committee's plenary session.

The $22.3 billion project, with planned generating capacity of about 6.3 gigawatts, is aimed at meeting rising electricity demand in Texas as semiconductor plants and artificial intelligence data centers expand in the state.

The project will be funded entirely by Korea, while ownership will be split equally between Seoul and Washington.

The government estimates the project will generate about $43.29 billion to $45.43 billion over 20 years, enough to recover the principal and interest on the investment.

Under the agreement, Korea will make investment payments no earlier than 45 business days after being notified that the U.S. president has selected a project.

The Texas project is expected to start with a 1.4-gigawatt gas turbine facility to assess power demand and the project's commercial viability, before adding about 4.9 gigawatts of combined-cycle generating capacity in stages.

Kim added that the government had prepared implementation plans for two other projects that have not yet been approved but reflect shared interests between Korea and the U.S.

“Although we have not yet decided to pursue these projects specifically, I would like to report on the implementation plans for two projects that reflect the interests of both countries,” he said.

The two other projects under consideration are the construction of eight large nuclear reactors in the U.S. and an investment in the Alaska LNG project.

The nuclear project is being discussed on the basis of six Westinghouse AP1000 reactors and two South Korean-designed APR1400 reactors, although the reactor mix has not yet been agreed.

The U.S. side has been reluctant to include the Korean-designed reactors, and has also resisted Seoul’s push for a larger stake and greater management rights in Westinghouse.

Korea reportedly sought a roughly 20 percent stake in the company, but the minister shared that the two sides are now discussing a stake of 5 to 10 percent.

Kim said that even with a 5 to 10 percent stake, Korea would be able to secure voting rights in Westinghouse.

The minister said the government had identified projects that could benefit Korea and reviewed U.S.-proposed projects based on their commercial viability.

“The government has sought to take a balanced approach from the perspective of the national interest so that U.S. investment goes beyond simply putting in and recovering funds and instead becomes an opportunity for Korean companies to expand their presence in the U.S. market and use the United States as a stepping stone to global markets,” he said.

Both projects remain subject to negotiations over commercial viability and investment terms.

The briefing was held behind closed doors because it included sensitive details about the negotiations and investment terms.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to make the final announcement on the investment projects after the relevant U.S. review procedures are completed.

The government pledged $200 billion in strategic investment as part of a broader $350 billion U.S. investment package tied to a bilateral trade deal. The remaining $150 billion is earmarked for shipbuilding.

Kim reaffirmed that Korea’s strategic investment will not exceed the $200 billion ceiling, with annual funding capped at $20 billion under the investment framework.

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韩国已选定位于德克萨斯州恩西纳尔的一座天然气联合循环发电厂作为其对美2000亿美元战略投资承诺下的首个项目。韩国产业通商资源部长官金正宽周二向国会委员会汇报了该项目进展，并表示另有两个项目正在规划中。德克萨斯州项目预计投资223亿美元，旨在满足德克萨斯州半导体工厂和人工智能数据中心日益增长的电力需求。韩国政府表示，整体投资框架将控制在2000亿美元的上限之内，年度投资额上限为200亿美元。

德克萨斯州的这个项目计划拥有约 6.3 吉瓦的发电能力，预计首先建设一座 1.4 吉瓦的燃气轮机发电厂，然后分阶段增加约 4.9 吉瓦。

韩国方面估计，德克萨斯州的项目将在 20 年内产生约 432.9 亿美元至 454.3 亿美元的收益，足以收回投资本金和利息。

与双边贸易协议相关的更广泛的美国投资计划总额为 3500 亿美元，其中 1500 亿美元指定用于造船业。

正在考虑的另外两个项目是美国的八个大型核反应堆和一个阿拉斯加液化天然气项目。

金正恩表示，根据该框架，韩国的战略投资不会超过2000亿美元，年度资金上限为200亿美元。

发布于2026年9月22日上午11:03（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月22日下午4:35（韩国标准时间）

周二，韩国产业通商资源部长官金正冠在首尔出席国会贸易、工业、能源、中小企业和创业委员会全体会议并发表讲话。（韩联社）

韩国已选定位于德克萨斯州恩西纳尔的一座天然气联合循环发电厂作为其对美2000亿美元战略投资承诺下的首个项目。此外，韩国还在制定另外两个项目的计划，分别涉及八座核反应堆的建设以及阿拉斯加液化天然气（LNG）项目。

工业部长官金正冠周二向国会贸易、工业、能源、中小企业和创业委员会汇报了这些项目，称政府在工业部长和财政部长主持的委员会审查后，决定了第一个项目。

“今天，我想汇报一下政府决定推进的一个项目，”金在委员会全体会议上说。

这项耗资 223 亿美元的项目计划发电容量约为 6.3 吉瓦，旨在满足德克萨斯州不断增长的电力需求，因为该州的半导体工厂和人工智能数据中心正在扩张。

该项目将完全由韩国出资，所有权则由首尔和华盛顿平分。

政府估计该项目将在 20 年内产生约 432.9 亿美元至 454.3 亿美元的收益，足以收回投资本金和利息。

根据协议，韩国将在收到美国总统选定项目的通知后至少 45 个工作日内支付投资款项。

德克萨斯州的这个项目预计将首先建设一座 1.4 吉瓦的燃气轮机发电厂，以评估电力需求和项目的商业可行性，然后再分阶段增加约 4.9 吉瓦的联合循环发电容量。

金补充说，政府还制定了另外两个项目的实施计划，这两个项目尚未获得批准，但体现了韩美两国的共同利益。

“虽然我们尚未决定具体推进这些项目，但我还是想汇报一下两个反映两国利益的项目的实施计划，”他说。

正在考虑的另外两个项目是在美国建造八座大型核反应堆和投资阿拉斯加液化天然气项目。

该核电项目正在讨论中，计划采用六座西屋 AP1000 反应堆和两座韩国设计的 APR1400 反应堆，但反应堆组合尚未确定。

美方一直不愿将韩国设计的反应堆纳入其中，并且抵制首尔方面要求在西屋公司获得更大股份和更大管理权的诉求。

据报道，韩国曾寻求持有该公司约 20% 的股份，但该部长透露，双方目前正在讨论 5% 至 10% 的股份。

金表示，即使只持有 5% 到 10% 的股份，韩国也能确保在西屋电气公司获得投票权。

该部长表示，政府已确定了可能对韩国有利的项目，并根据商业可行性审查了美国提出的项目。

他说：“政府一直力求从国家利益的角度采取平衡的做法，使美国投资不仅仅是投入和收回资金，而是成为韩国企业扩大其在美国市场的业务，并将美国作为进军全球市场的跳板的机会。”

这两个项目仍需就商业可行性和投资条款进行谈判。

由于简报内容涉及谈判和投资条款等敏感细节，因此是闭门举行的。

预计美国总统唐纳德·特朗普将在相关美国审查程序完成后，对这些投资项目做出最终宣布。

作为一项与双边贸易协议挂钩的3500亿美元美国投资计划的一部分，政府承诺投入2000亿美元进行战略投资。剩余的1500亿美元将用于造船业。

金正恩重申，韩国的战略投资不会超过 2000 亿美元的上限，根据投资框架，年度资金上限为 200 亿美元。

赵承熙和卢比奥同意共同努力，以期在有关美国投资项目的谈判中取得“良好”成果。

总统强调3500亿美元美国投资谈判的“商业可行性”。

【封面故事】韩美2000亿美元投资谈判因“商业可行性”问题陷入最后阶段僵局