[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] HD Hyundai announced on the 12th that its shipbuilding subsidiary HD Hyundai Heavy Industries recently signed a 'strategic agreement to expand the manufacturing supply chain for commercialization of sodium reactors' with TerraPower in the United States.

The signing ceremony was attended by Chung kisun HD Hyundai Senior Vice Chairman, Won Gwang-sik, Head of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Marine Energy Division, Bill Gates, Founder of TerraPower, and Chris Levesque, CEO, as well as other officials.

The sodium reactor is a 4th generation sodium-cooled fast reactor developed by Terrapower, which generates electricity by cooling the heat generated by nuclear fission of fast neutrons with liquid sodium. It has high safety and technological perfection among SMRs, and has the characteristic of producing about 40% less nuclear waste compared to existing reactors.

Bill Gates co-founded TerraPower with the goal of “developing technology to provide safe, affordable, and abundant carbon-free energy,” and is actively involved in the development and supply of SMRs.

Through this agreement, the two companies will combine HD Hyundai’s excellent production technology and TerraPower’s advanced SMR technology to expand the supply capacity of sodium reactors and move forward with commercialization.

In particular, HD Hyundai plans to research and develop an optimized manufacturing method to supply the main equipment to be mounted on a sodium reactor. Through this, it plans to establish a manufacturing foundation necessary for full-scale commercialization beyond the initial demonstration project of a sodium reactor.

HD Hyundai previously signed a supply contract with TerraPower for a cylindrical reactor vessel to be installed in the first sodium reactor in December 2024.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Marine Energy Division Head Won Kwang-sik said, “We expect that HD Hyundai’s extensive experience and advanced technologies in the manufacturing industry will help build the foundation for commercializing sodium reactors,” adding, “Based on this collaboration, we will accelerate the commercialization of next-generation nuclear energy solutions and create new growth opportunities in the global SMR market.”

“TerraPower is moving quickly to supply sodium reactors to the U.S. and around the world,” said Chris Leveck, CEO of TerraPower. “We expect that our collaboration with HD Hyundai will allow us to expand our supply chain to meet the growing demand for energy and successfully build sodium reactors.”