en.Wedoany.com Reported - Three energy and engineering companies from the United States and South Korea signed a non-binding Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on August 4 to jointly evaluate the feasibility of deploying a dual-unit SMR-300 small modular reactor on the southern U.S. Gulf Coast, aiming to provide 680 megawatts of carbon-free electricity to local AI data centers.

The signatories include Florida-based Holtec International, Louisiana-based Entergy Services, and Seoul-based Hyundai Engineering & Construction. The three parties will assess customer demand, potential sites, and business models. The SMR-300 system is a Generation III+ small modular reactor that uses pressurized water reactor (PWR) technology with an electrical output of 320 megawatts (MWe).

A representative of Holtec International stated that the goal is to identify commercially viable opportunities where advanced nuclear energy could support economic growth while enhancing long-term grid reliability and energy security.

In terms of process application, the reactor can generate approximately 1050 megawatts of thermal output (MWt). Its design is simplified, featuring passive safety systems and proven pressurized water reactor technology. Modular units are manufactured at factories and then transported to the site for assembly, reducing costs and shortening construction time.

The collaboration focuses on large-load customers, including AI data centers, manufacturing facilities, and other energy-intensive industries requiring continuous power supply. The standard dual-unit SMR-300 configuration has an installed capacity of 680 megawatts, with the generated electricity being carbon-free.

The SMR-300 uses conventional nuclear fuel and is equipped with fully passive safety systems that operate without active intervention in emergency situations, with each unit delivering approximately 340 megawatts of electrical output. According to Holtec, the modular design is intended to provide utilities and industrial customers with a scalable and reliable source of carbon-free power as demand continues to grow.

Any future projects evaluated under the agreement will adopt an integrated engineering, procurement, and construction platform jointly developed by Holtec and Hyundai Engineering & Construction. Holtec is responsible for reactor technology, nuclear systems, manufacturing, and nuclear procurement, while Hyundai Engineering & Construction handles engineering, procurement, and construction for balance-of-plant works.

The three parties will also draw on Holtec's experience in advancing the first SMR-300 project at the Palisades site in Michigan, where the planned Pioneer 1 and Pioneer 2 units will serve as reference plants for future SMR-300 projects. Holtec stated that major reactor components will be manufactured in the United States by its advanced manufacturing division, and the company also plans to expand manufacturing capacity to support subsequent reactor deployments.

Entergy operates one of the largest nuclear fleets in the United States, supplying power across much of the southern Gulf Coast region, including Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, and Arkansas. The agreement will examine whether advanced nuclear reactors can support Entergy's long-term power planning and the region's growth needs.

The MOA itself does not commit the parties to building any reactors, but it marks another step in Holtec's strategy to commercialize SMR-300 technology through partnerships with utilities. Holtec stated in a release that, as U.S. electricity demand accelerates, this collaboration establishes a pathway for the parties to evaluate the role of advanced nuclear energy in industrial growth, AI infrastructure, grid reliability, and long-term energy security.