GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) and Samsung C&T, a leading construction and engineering company, have announced a strategic alliance to advance the deployment of the BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) in strategic global markets, outside North America. The two companies will focus their collective efforts on developing the supply chain and project delivery solutions for GVH’s SMR. Further, they will work together in the potential deployment of five BWRX-300s in Sweden.
“With the first unit of our BWRX-300 under construction in Canada, we are well positioned to lead the deployment and scale of the SMR industry,” said Maví Zingoni, CEO Power, GE Vernova. “This collaboration with a leading player like Samsung C&T, which has a solid track-record of helping to deliver nuclear projects safely, on-time and on-budget, will further strengthen the BWRX-300 position among the most advanced, deployment ready, and lowest risk SMR technology available today.”
“This agreement marks a strategic collaboration where Samsung C&T and GVH aim to become global leaders in the nuclear power segment. The collaboration will capitalize on Samsung C&T's extensive experience in nuclear power and infrastructure project execution, combined with GVH's validated technological expertise,” added Se-chul Oh, Samsung C&T CEO.
The first BWRX-300 is under construction at Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington site in Canada, with completion expected by the end of the decade, which will make it the first small modular reactor in the Western World. Key components like the reactor pressure vessel are being manufactured, and site construction is progressing according to plan.
Additionally, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted and is reviewing Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) application to construct the first BWRX-300 in the U.S., at the utility’s Clinch River site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) has selected Wloclawek as the site for Poland’s first SMR. In Sweden, Vattenfall has down-selected the BWRX-300 as it evaluates the construction of new reactors adjacent to its Ringhals plant site on the Värö Peninsula.
Each BWRX-300 can provide approximately 300 MW of electricity, enough to produce the equivalent electricity needed to power 300,000 homes while significantly reducing the complexity and cost associated with traditional nuclear reactors.
Samsung C&T’s Engineering & Construction Group has more than 40 years of engineering and construction experience operating throughout the world. The group spans commercial and residential buildings, civil infrastructure and plant construction. Its landmark projects include Burj Khalifa - the world’s tallest building, the ongoing Riyadh Metro Project in Saudi Arabia, the Qurayyah 4,000MW CCPP Project, and the ongoing Qatar 2,000MW Solar Power Project. In the nuclear energy sector, the company has successfully delivered 12GW across 10 units, including the 5.6GW Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the UAE. It has recently undertaken the Nuclear Power Plant refurbishment project and Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), demonstrating its global competitiveness in large-scale reactor and SMR technologies, and solidifying its expertise across all areas of the nuclear industry.
