Seoul: A South Korean-led consortium has won a contract to conduct an initial design phase of a U.S. research reactor project, marking the Asian country's first export of its reactor technology to the United States. The consortium, comprised of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Hyundai Engineering Co., and U.S. nuclear power engineering firm MPR, signed a deal with Missouri University for the early phase of the Next Generation Missouri University Research Reactor (NextGen MURR) project.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the initial phase, known as the "design study package," will involve assessing the conditions of the construction site for the 20-megawatt thermal reactor and evaluating the environmental impact of the project. The South Korean science ministry has lauded the successful bid for the Missouri reactor deal as a significant milestone. This achievement reflects the nation's growth in nuclear reactor capabilities, which began with the adoption of the TRIGA Mark-II research reactor from the U.S. in July 1959.
The South Korean government plans to leverage this success by developing a strategy to export Korean-made small modular reactors, SMART, and research reactors to international markets by the first half of the year. Currently, there are 227 research reactors operating in 54 countries, with over 70 percent of them being more than four decades old. The ministry anticipates a replacement demand for approximately 50 reactors over the next 20 years.
The consortium was selected as the preferred bidder for the project last July, highlighting its competitive edge in the global nuclear reactor market.