Officials from Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction and NuScale, led by Na Ki-yong, senior executive vice president and head of Doosan Heavy’s Nuclear Power Business Group, and NuScale Chairman and CEO John Hopkins, clap after Doosan Heavy signed a deal on the supply of nuclear reactor modules and other systems to NuScale in Seoul on July 23. (Photos: Doosan Heavy)

Executive Vice President Song Yong-jin, head of the Strategy, Innovation, M&A, Digital, R&D, Energy, Water Division at Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, Senior Executive Vice President Na Ki-yong, head of Doosan Heavy’s Nuclear Power Business Group, and NuScale Chairman and CEO John Hopkins, hold a document on a deal on the supply of nuclear reactor modules and other systems to NuScale they signed in Seoul on July 23.

Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction (DHIC), suffering from hard times in Korea due to the government’s energy paradigm shift away from nuclear power, is hoping for a breakthrough by tapping the American market.

Doonsan Heavy will supply key systems for a small modular reactor (SMR), to be built for the first time in the United States. SMRs refer to new nuclear power units with a power generation capacity of less than 300MW.

Doosan Heavy signed a deal on the supply of nuclear reactor modules and other systems to NuScale in Seoul on July 23.

Among those on hand at the signing ceremony at the Seoul office of Doosan Heavy were Na Ki-yong, senior executive vice president and head of Doosan Heavy’s Nuclear Power Business Group, and NuScale Chairman and CEO John Hopkins.

Doosan Heavy has teamed up with NuScale to develop an SMR under the support of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). They will supply nuclear reactor modules for a 3 trillion won SMR project, the first of its kind in the United States.

The power company Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS) wants the development of a 12-module plant at a site at the Idaho National Laboratory, which is expected to put into commercial operation in 2026.

Starting with the supply of reactor modules part and other systems to, Doosan Heavy agreed to supply SMR projects.
Doosan Heavy has joined Korean investors, including IBK Security, in making investments to acquire stakes in NuScale as part of efforts to strengthen strategic ties between Doosan Heavy and NuScale.

Doosan Heavy and other investors plan to contribute a combined $40 million (47 billion won) inequity investments into NuScale. NuScale CEO Hopkins said demand on electricity, being supplied safely and stably without emitting greenhouse gases is on the rise. NuScale plans to release technologies tailored to meet market demands in cooperation of Doosan Heavy and provide long-term energy solutions.

NuScale is expected to obtain a design certification on a SMR from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) next September. An SMR plant has 12 reactor modules with a combined capacity of 720MW, each with 60MW. It boasts high safety as the number of reactor modules can be adjusted according to power demand.

Doosan Heavy, Korea’s sole supplier of nuclear power equipment and components, has supplied 32 nuclear reactors and 114 steam generators, including the ones supplied to the Bogtle Nuclear Power Unit 3 &4 in the United States whose construction gets under way.