Hyundai E&C Moves to Advance Global SMR Projects

Hyundai E&C is accelerating efforts to establish a leading position in the next-generation nuclear power market by expanding its strategic partnership with TerraPower.

Hyundai E&C announced that it held a meeting in Seoul on the 14th with senior executives from TerraPower and HD Hyundai to discuss cooperation on the commercial deployment and global expansion of the next-generation nuclear reactor, Natrium® (hereinafter “Natrium”). The meeting brought together senior executives from all three companies, including Hyundai E&C CEO Hanwoo, TerraPower Board Chairman Bill Gates, President and CEO Chris Levesque, and HD Hyundai Chairman Kisun Chung.

The attendees agreed that TerraPower’s Natrium project would serve as a significant milestone in demonstrating the competitiveness of the next-generation nuclear power industry and discussed ways to accelerate commercialization through the successful implementation of the project. TerraPower is currently constructing its first Natrium unit in Wyoming, and the executives also exchanged views on the potential to expand cooperation to additional projects in the future, agreeing to maintain close collaboration going forward.

Founded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, TerraPower is leading the next-generation nuclear power market with Natrium, a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) designed to deliver significant improvements in safety and economic efficiency. More recently, TerraPower has formed a strategic partnership that combines Hyundai E&C’s industry-leading EPC capabilities with HD Hyundai’s expertise in manufacturing primary nuclear power equipment, stepping up efforts to expand its presence not only in North America but also across the global energy market.

A Hyundai E&C official stated, “Following the signing of the ‘Hyundai E&C–TerraPower–HD Hyundai MOU for Advancing Next-Generation Nuclear Power’ last May, this meeting has further strengthened the strategic partnership among the three companies,” adding, “Leveraging its proven EPC capabilities and project management expertise, Hyundai E&C will continue to expand cooperation to support the commercialization of Natrium nuclear power plants and the global expansion of power infrastructure, driven by growing electricity demand, particularly from AI data centers.”