Samsung C&T has embarked on a full-scale expansion into the European small modular reactor (SMR) market through collaboration on an SMR project in Estonia.
Samsung C&T's construction division noted on the 2nd that it had signed a teaming agreement with Fermi Energia, a private nuclear power company in Estonia, during the 'Energy Mission Conference' held on the 1st at the Estonia Business Hub located in Seoul Square, Jung-gu, Seoul.
Fermi Energia is a corporation established in 2019 with local energy and nuclear power experts to construct SMRs in Estonia. In February of last year, the company disclosed two sites planned for the project, located about 100 kilometers east of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. The company announced that it will introduce the 'BWRX-300' SMR technology, which is an improved version of a boiling water reactor (BWR) with a capacity of 300MW. The BWR generates power by boiling water in the reactor to create steam, which spins a turbine.
'BWRX-300' is an SMR developed by GE Hitachi, a joint venture between General Electric (GE) of the U.S. and Hitachi of Japan. It has proven its global competitiveness in SMRs by signing a contract for a new nuclear project in the Darlington area with Ontario Power Generation in January 2023 and is about to begin construction of the first unit this year.
Through this agreement, Samsung C&T will participate from the initial phases of the project, including concept design (pre-FEED) to basic design (FEED), performing tasks such as establishing business structures and cost estimation related to the SMR construction promoted by Fermi Energia.
Samsung C&T has secured a position to proactively participate in the project as a key partner, preparing to gain an advantageous position in the final contract for engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC). The two companies plan to initiate the formal project procedures as early as the second half of this year. The project aims for commercial operation by 2035.
Kim Jong-un, head of the nuclear power sales team at Samsung C&T, said, 'We plan to strengthen our position as a global SMR player alongside the successful advancement of Estonia's first SMR project.'
Samsung C&T is currently conducting the basic design (FEED) for an SMR project in Romania. Following a memorandum of understanding with the Swedish SMR development company Kahn Pool Next in December of last year, the company is accelerating its expansion in the nuclear power business across Europe with the current SMR project in Estonia.