(HD Hyundai Heavy Industries)
HD Hyundai Co. will supply key equipment for next-generation small modular reactors (SMRs) to TerraPower LLC, the U.S. nuclear energy company founded by Bill Gates.
HD Hyundai announced on Thursday that its affiliate HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. recently signed a framework agreement with TerraPower on equipment supply for the company’s Natrium reactor.
The signing ceremony was attended by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Vice President Won Kwang-sik and TerraPower Chief Executive Chris Levesque.
TerraPower, established by Gates in 2006, is building what it says will be the world’s first Natrium reactor demonstration plant in Wyoming.
Under the agreement, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has been selected as the preferred negotiating partner for manufacturing and supplying key equipment for the reactor’s main system, the core of the Natrium design. The two sides have been assessing manufacturing feasibility and cost competitiveness since forming a partnership in March 2025.
The Natrium reactor is a next-generation design that uses liquid sodium instead of water as a coolant. Because the coolant does not boil under high pressure, it is considered safer with a lower risk of explosion and allows for recycling of spent nuclear fuel. It is regarded as one of the most advanced SMR designs under development.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries had already secured an order from TerraPower in December 2024 to build a cylindrical reactor vessel, which is currently under production. The latest agreement expands the partnership toward commercial-scale deployment.
HD Hyundai also recently signed a separate three-way memorandum of understanding with TerraPower and Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co.
Under the deal, Hyundai Engineering & Construction will handle design, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries manufacturing, and TerraPower technology development as the companies pursue global nuclear project bids, including in the United States.
댓글
0