HD Hyundai selected as priority negotiator to supply main equipment for next-generation reactors with TerraPower

*This content was translated by AI.

HD Hyundai is strengthening its competitiveness in the nuclear power market by partnering with a global nuclear innovation company.

HD Hyundai announced on the 21st that it signed a "Basic Agreement on the Supply of Sodium Reactors" with TerraPower.

The core of the agreement is that HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has been selected as the priority negotiator to manufacture and supply key facilities for TerraPower's sodium reactor main equipment (Reactor Enclosure System, RES).

TerraPower is a U.S. company developing next-generation small modular reactors (SMRs), founded in 2008 by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Established to address climate change and supply clean energy without carbon emissions, the company is currently leading the way in the innovative fourth-generation advanced nuclear power market.

Its core technology uses a sodium (Natrium) cooling method. Unlike existing large-scale nuclear plants that use water as a coolant, this system uses liquid sodium (sodium), which has a boiling point of 880 degrees Celsius, maintaining overwhelming safety. In particular, TerraPower's sodium reactor is integrated with a molten salt energy storage system. It is designed to stably produce 345MW of power under normal conditions and flexibly increase output up to 500MW during peak demand times by utilizing stored heat.

This agreement is an extension of the "Strategic Agreement on Manufacturing Supply Chain Expansion for Commercialization of Sodium Reactors" signed in March 2025. Over the past year, both companies have conducted research on the manufacturing feasibility, price competitiveness, and delivery schedules of sodium reactors.

Previously, in December 2024, HD Hyundai received an order from TerraPower to manufacture a cylindrical reactor vessel and is currently in production. Building on the successful execution of demonstration construction, the company plans to expand business cooperation to include commercial models in the future. The sodium reactor, a fourth-generation sodium-cooled fast reactor developed by TerraPower, is evaluated as having the highest safety and technical maturity among existing SMRs.

A TerraPower representative expressed confidence, stating, "Through the establishment of a partnership, we have secured the foundation for the commercialization of sodium nuclear power plants globally, including in the United States."

An HD Hyundai representative, speaking to this newspaper by phone, stated, "It is highly positive that through joint research, we can supply sodium reactor facilities on schedule and establish a continuous production base, thereby gaining global competitiveness."

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*This content was translated by AI.