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Global Major SMR Project Progress Review

As of now, global SMR competition has already formed several different tiers: Linglong One is advancing pre-operational testing, Darlington and Russia's land-based projects have entered the construction phase, Clinch River has just crossed the threshold for a U.S. commercial SMR construction permit, Long Mott is still under licensing review, and representative projects in the UK and South Korea are mainly advancing design and regulatory approval. In subsequent comparisons of these projects, the most valuable indicators will be first fuel load, first criticality, first grid connection, commercial operation, and whether construction can be replicated after the first-of-a-kind unit. Project progress: China's Linglong One is one of the more advanced projects among land-based SMR commercial demonstration projects. In December 2025, the project completed non-nuclear steam testing, verifying the functions of conventional island-related systems; public information in early 2026 shows that the project is still conducting pre-operational testing. The project adopts a 125 MWe pressurized water reactor design, mainly targeting applications such as power generation, heating, industrial steam, and seawater desalination.

2026-10-09

South Korea's HD Hyundai Deepens Marine SMR Layout: Joint Industry-University-Research Initiative Establishes Demonstration Center to Accelerate Commercialization Validation of Marine SMRs

South Korean shipbuilding giant HD Hyundai is comprehensively accelerating the commercialization process of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). The company recently joined hands with South Korea's nuclear energy industry, academia, and authoritative classification societies to sign a multi-party cooperation agreement, announcing the formal establishment of the SMR Marine Technology Demonstration Center, aimed at deeply integrating the construction capabilities of shipbuilding engineering with the cutting-edge research strengths of the nuclear industry and universities, creating a core catalyst for the commercial deployment of marine nuclear power. The demonstration center brings together a total of 12 industry-university-research units, including the Korean Register (KR), key nuclear energy institutions, and multiple major South Korean universities....

2026-10-08

Korea Holds Briefing Session on Bidding for Auxiliary Equipment for Czech Dukovany Nuclear Power Project

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) officially held the briefing session on bidding for auxiliary equipment for the Czech Dukovany Nuclear Power Project on September 30 at the Radiation Health Institute in Seoul. As the Czech Dukovany new Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) project has fully transitioned from the preliminary supplier qualification and registration stage to the substantive bidding and equipment procurement stage, this briefing session was aimed at providing comprehensive guidance and support for Korean domestic equipment manufacturers to participate in the bidding. The meeting attracted approximately 130 plant auxiliary equipment (...

2026-10-04

Hanul Unit 6 in South Korea commences its 15th planned preventive overhaul

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP)'s Hanul Nuclear Power Site announced that its Hanul Unit 6 was officially disconnected from the grid at 10:00 a.m. on September 30, fully launching its 15th planned preventive overhaul lasting approximately 72 days. Hanul Unit 6 is a 1,000-megawatt-class pressurized water reactor (PWR) with a rated electrical power of 1,000 megawatts. During this planned maintenance window, the operations and maintenance team will carry out routine nuclear fuel assembly refueling operations as scheduled, and conduct comprehensive preventive maintenance and performance testing on the reactor primary coolant system, engineered safety features, and conventional island critical...

2026-10-04

South Korea's Nuclear Safety and Security Commission Holds High-Level Talks with Vietnam: Deepening Nuclear Safety Regulatory Cooperation to Support Restart of Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Project

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) of South Korea held talks with a high-level Vietnamese delegation on October 1, 2026, in the large conference room in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Choi Wonho, Chairman of the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission of South Korea, Vu Hai Quan, Minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of Vietnam, and Nguyen Hoang Linh, Director General of the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety (VARANS), jointly attended the meeting, focusing on the systematic...

2026-10-01

KAERI and IAEA Jointly Hold Research Reactor Ageing Management Training Workshop

On September 28, SPIC's first fully independent full-scope simulator and related independent technologies were released in Beijing, marking that State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) has mastered complete full-scope simulator R&D and supply capabilities. A full-scope simulator is like a mirror of a nuclear power plant; operators performing control actions in the full-scope simulator can obtain realistic feedback in real time. With the help of this digital nuclear power plant that poses no nuclear accident hazard, operators repeatedly hone their daily operation control and accident handling skills, becoming professionals who safeguard the safe and efficient operation of real nuclear power plants. To ensure the training quality of main control room operators at nuclear power plants, the Central Research Institute of SPIC took the lead, together with SNERDI, SNST...

2026-09-28

South Korea Plans to Build a National Collaborative Platform for Offshore Small Modular Reactors

Recently, Professor Seo Jeong of Korea Maritime and Ocean University (KMOU) proposed at the First Offshore Small Modular Reactor Network Conference held at the Busan IT Industry Promotion Agency in Busan that the commercialization of offshore Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) cannot rely solely on reactor R&D, and that a national platform linking reactor design, shipbuilding, and offshore testing must be established. The nuclear industry and the shipbuilding industry currently operate in silos, and manufacturers, research institutions, and regulatory bodies should cooperate from an early stage. Seo Jeong stated that shipborne SMRs...

2026-09-29

Samsung C&T Teams Up with GE, Hitachi and Synthos to Enter Europe's Small Modular Reactor Market

Samsung C&T's construction division has partnered with GE Vernova, Hitachi and Synthos Green Energy (SGE) to expand into Europe's small modular reactor (SMR) market. By integrating technology, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and business development capabilities, the parties aim to establish a business model for the repeat deployment of standardized small modular reactors across European countries. Samsung C&T announced on the 23rd that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the 22nd (local time) with GE Vernova, Hitachi and SGE to pursue market development and commercial...

2026-09-23

South Korea Promotes K-Decommissioning Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Technology Overseas

At the 2026 Nuclear Facility Decommissioning Business Forum held on the 18th at the Westin Chosun Seoul, Seo Beom-kyung (서범경), Director of the Clean Nuclear Facility Technology Development Department at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), stated that given the limited scale of the domestic nuclear facility decommissioning market, it is necessary to turn attention to overseas markets. Seo Beom-kyung said that the scale of South Korea's domestic decommissioning market is limited, so attention must be directed overseas. This requires the establishment of international standards, as well as decommissioning methods that reduce environmental burden and plans for subsequent site utilization. At the same time, emphasis must be placed on verifying K-Decommissioning technology in practical applications to ensure its performance and safety. Although technologies achieved at the R&D stage may...

2026-09-22

South Korea Deeply Integrates 50 Years of Nuclear Power Design Experience with Artificial Intelligence

KEPCO E&C has deeply integrated its 50 years of accumulated technology and data in the nuclear power design field with artificial intelligence (AI), and its digital transformation strategy is being comprehensively accelerated. At the 2026 National Contribution Awards ceremony, KEPCO E&C received the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award in the AI innovation category. This award aims to recognize the company's outstanding achievements in organically combining nuclear power design experience with technical materials and successfully applying them to business innovation and safety management technology R&D in the power generation and energy sectors. Among the most notable achievements is NEXA, an autonomous generative AI platform developed specifically for power plant design. The platform ensures...

2026-09-20

Announcement of South Korea's U.S. investment plan delayed due to need to clarify related procedural issues

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on Thursday that the announcement of South Korea's U.S. investment plan under the South Korea-U.S. trade agreement has been delayed due to the need to clarify related procedural issues, but he did not disclose further specific details. Cho made the remarks at the airport before departing for the United States, where he is scheduled to hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday. According to officials familiar with the matter and media reports, the South Korean government this week postponed the briefing on the investment plan originally scheduled to be submitted to a congressional committee, and tentatively rescheduled it to September 22. South Korean lawmakers said that a dedicated briefing to the National Assembly is a core step before the two countries finalize the details of South Korea's massive investment commitment to the United States...

2026-09-18

South Korea Plans to Open Up "Direct Purchase" of Nuclear Power: A Low-Cost Pathway for Industrial Decarbonization, or a New Challenge for the Electricity Market?

2026-09-17

South Korea and Kazakhstan Sign Nuclear Energy Agreement, Deepening Cooperation on Critical Minerals and Strategic Industries

South Korea and Kazakhstan signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the peaceful use of nuclear energy on Tuesday (September 15). The leaders of the two countries agreed to expand cooperation in critical minerals, artificial intelligence (AI), and other strategic industries. During the state visit of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to South Korea, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and Tokayev held talks at the Blue House in Seoul. According to The Korea Times, South Korea and Kazakhstan signed a total of 13 agreements and memorandums of understanding. Lee Jae-myung and Tokayev also agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a future-oriented comprehensive strategic...

2026-09-16

Gyeongju City Council in South Korea Conducts In-Depth Inspection of Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant and Radioactive Waste Treatment Facilities

Recently, the Gyeongju City Council of South Korea organized an in-depth on-site inspection, with the focus on the Wolsong Nuclear Power Plant and the Korea Atomic Energy Environment Corporation. The inspection team aimed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the operational safety of the nuclear power plant and the operation of radioactive waste treatment facilities, and to listen to feedback from relevant personnel. The purpose of this action was to conduct an in-depth investigation of core issues closely related to public safety, including the safety management status of the nuclear power plant and the operational model of radioactive waste treatment facilities. The council members hoped that through this inspection, they could gain a more intuitive understanding of the actual situation and provide reference for formulating more comprehensive policies. At the beginning of the inspection, the council members went to Wolsong...

2026-09-14

KHNP Hanul Nuclear Power Plant Conducts High-Intensity Comprehensive Drill to Address Safety Threats Including Earthquakes, Wildfires, and Drones

On the 14th, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) Hanul Nuclear Power Plant conducted a high-intensity comprehensive emergency drill aimed at responding to compound disasters such as earthquakes, wildfires, and radioactive material leaks, as well as new safety challenges including information system failures and drone threats. The Hanul Nuclear Power Plant announced that it jointly held the "2026 Disaster Response Safety Korea Drill" with multiple relevant departments at Hanul Unit 1. The Safety Korea Drill is a nationwide comprehensive emergency exercise designed to establish a disaster management system and cross-departmental coordination mechanism involving South Korea's central ministries, local governments, and public institutions, ensuring efficient joint response capabilities during major emergencies. This drill was...

2026-09-14