HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. (HD KSOE) is reportedly accelerating its entry into the nuclear power plant ship market, seeking collaborations.
According to KED Global (Korea Economic Daily), acting as an intermediary for Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., HD KSOE recently engaged in a technology exchange meeting with TerraPower, a small modular reactor (SMR) manufacturer, Southern Company, and Core Power. The goal is to commercialize molten salt reactors (MSRs) and deploy them on ships by 2035 to provide energy.
MSRs are fourth-generation, salt-based nuclear reactors suitable for marine energy applications. Nuclear power plant ships, characterized as floating nuclear reactors, are considered next-generation nuclear power plants. They offer increased resistance to natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis and are less likely to face opposition from communities, which often resist the construction of conventional nuclear power stations nearby.
HD KSOE is also working towards establishing standards for nuclear power plant ships in consultation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and global classification organizations, KED notes. The move aligns with a broader industry trend, as seen with Samsung Heavy Industries Co. forming a consortium last year to commercialize nuclear power ships in collaboration with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corp. and Seaborg Technologies, a Danish SMR developer.
Furthermore, KED also reported that Hanwha Ocean Co., the world’s second-largest shipbuilder, is involved in an offshore nuclear power project led by Indonesian SMR maker ThorCon.
