en.Wedoany.com Reported - The foreign ministers of the United States, Japan, and South Korea recently signed a memorandum of cooperation on small modular reactors (SMRs) on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey. The three parties will jointly promote the deployment of SMRs in third countries, with initial cooperation focusing on the Indo-Pacific region.
The U.S. State Department stated that the MOU clarifies the direction of trilateral cooperation in civilian nuclear energy. The nuclear industries of the U.S., Japan, and South Korea have complementary advantages. The cooperation framework aims to establish a batch deployment model for reactors, reduce project development risks, achieve economies of scale, leverage private capital participation, streamline project approval processes, and improve upstream and downstream industrial chain support. Trilateral coordination can provide competitive energy solutions to partner countries in the Indo-Pacific, meeting the region's growing energy demand. During the commercial deployment of new reactors, the three parties will strictly adhere to the highest international standards in nuclear safety, nuclear security, and nuclear non-proliferation.
According to the MOU, the U.S., Japan, and South Korea will select third countries in the Indo-Pacific interested in introducing SMRs, supporting multi-unit SMR projects in multiple countries through standardized batch reactor solutions and simplified contracting processes. The three parties will promote the formation of joint consortia among their nuclear energy companies, integrating various investment and financing resources to systematically advance overseas project development and construction.
To ensure the implementation of the cooperation, the United States will provide an additional over $10 million in funding, specifically supporting the State Department's "Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) program." This funding will be used to advance the early-stage development of SMR projects in the Indo-Pacific, establish regional nuclear energy training centers, and conduct industrial supporting talent cultivation to ensure the safe and stable operation of regional nuclear energy projects.
While advancing the layout in the Indo-Pacific market, the United States simultaneously released a European SMR industry cooperation plan. This cooperation is jointly promoted by GE Vernova (U.S.), Hitachi (Japan), Samsung C&T (South Korea), and Poland's SGE Group, focusing on deploying the BWRX-300 SMR in the European market. This initiative is a supporting measure to achieve the goals of the U.S.-Japan-South Korea trilateral MOU, deepening government-enterprise coordination and strengthening the global energy security system.
The BWRX-300 is a water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with an installed capacity of 300 megawatts, equipped with passive safety systems. This reactor type is designed based on the mature technology of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's certified ESBWR boiling water reactor, using the already approved GNF2 fuel assemblies. The first BWRX-300 reactor is currently being deployed at Ontario Power Generation's Darlington site in Canada, with a target for completion and operation by the end of 2029.
Poland's SGE Group, a subsidiary of the MS Galleon Group, is a co-investor in the standardized BWRX-300 design. With long-term expertise in the European nuclear market, SGE has already engaged in SMR cooperation projects with several Central and Eastern European countries, including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania. Its flagship project is located in Poland, in partnership with Poland's Orlen Energy, with preliminary preparations underway at three sites simultaneously. The first unit is expected to achieve commercial operation by 2032.
The previous week, SGE Group, together with Samsung C&T, Laing O'Rourke, AECOM, Google Cloud, and other partners, announced a nuclear energy construction plan in the UK. The plan aims to deploy 14 BWRX-300 SMRs at three UK sites, relying on private capital. The project has been submitted under the UK's Advanced Nuclear Framework. The total installed capacity of all units could reach 4.2 million kilowatts, meeting 11% of the UK's current total electricity demand.
