NEWS

HD Hyundai is partnering with global Small Modular Reactor (SMR) leaders to explore the offshore nuclear market.

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), an intermediate shipbuilding holding company of HD Hyundai, announced on February 4 that it recently organized a technology exchange meeting in Washington State, U.S. to jointly develop Molten Salt Reactors (MSR) with TerraPower and Southern Company from the U.S. and Core Power from the U.K.

The molten salt reactors HDKSOE is jointly developing are one of the fourth-generation reactors, being considered ideal for offshore nuclear power generation due to its safety and high efficiency.

In November 2022, HD Hyundai made its full-fledged foray into the next-generation energy technology field by investing USD 30 million in TerraPower. 

Through this joint research, HDKSOE plans to accelerate its development of the offshore nuclear market which is attracting attention as the next-generation clean energy. 

To this end, HDKSOE will dispatch its SMR R&D team to TerraPower in the U.S. starting from this March and will continue to cooperate with related companies in various fields including nuclear-powered vessels and new nuclear power application projects. In addition, it plans to actively work with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and major global classification societies (ABS and LR) to establish a system for the application of offshore nuclear reactors.

An HD Hyundai official said, “We will strengthen our R&D efforts and build strategic partnerships with global top-tier companies to spearhead the future energy market, including zero-emission nuclear power plant ships.”