AIBRIEF
South Korean outlet Edaily cites unnamed officials on a 6.3 gigawatt Encinal gas plant for US AI data centers; Seoul's Industry Ministry calls the $22.3B figure 'not accurate' as the $350B 2025 US Korea pact is tested.
A South Korean outlet has put a $22.3 billion price tag on a 6.3-gigawatt natural-gas plant in Encinal, Texas, for US AI data centers, but Seoul's Industry Ministry calls that figure "not accurate" and says talks are still open.
Edaily, citing unnamed officials and lawmakers, reported Korea would contribute close to $22.3 billion for the facility, which would generate 6.3 gigawatts once online, enough to power several million US homes. The figure was repeated downstream by other outlets (TechRadar Pro; Construction Review Online).
South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy pushed back publicly, saying the reports are "not accurate" and that no numbers can be confirmed until talks conclude. No US counterparty is on the record: neither USTR nor the White House has confirmed the figure, and no permit, EPC award, or operator has been named (Dallas Express; Energy News).
If built, the project would be the first major build-out under the November 2025 US-Korea framework, in which Seoul committed $350 billion of US investment in exchange for tariff relief on Korean exports. Until Seoul or Washington confirms a number, Encinal is a single-source claim being read as a milestone, and that asymmetry is the news (USTR fact sheet).