US Power Grid Investment Boosts Korean Equipment Exports

U.S. utilities plan to spend $1.4 trillion on power‑grid capital over the next five years, a 20 % rise from previous forecasts. Supply‑chain bottlenecks and longer lead times for high‑voltage transformers have increased reliance on foreign suppliers. Korean manufacturers, praised for fast delivery, are set to capture a larger share of the market. Forecasts from KOTRA’s New York office show Korean high‑voltage transformer exports to the U.S. could reach $723 million in 2025, a 98.5 % jump from the prior year, while high‑voltage cable sales are projected to exceed $381 million.

At the same time, Korean construction stocks surged 17 % in a week, driven by optimism over U.S. nuclear‑plant projects, AI data‑center contracts, and broader power‑plant opportunities. GS Construction led the rally with a 27.8 % gain, and other firms such as Daewoo Construction and DL I&C also posted double‑digit advances. Analysts cite the San Francisco AI Summit and Texas’s record power‑demand requests as catalysts for new U.S. projects, including gigawatt‑scale AI data‑centers and potential small‑modular‑reactor deployments.