Holtec International has formalised a non-binding memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Entergy Services and South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering & Construction (HDEC) to explore the deployment of SMR-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) across the American South to meet the soaring baseload demand of AI-driven data centres, heavy advanced manufacturing, and industrial plants. The MOA was signed by Entergy Executive Vice President & Chief Nuclear Officer John Dinelli, Holtec CEO Dr Kris Singh and Hyundai Engineering & Construction CEO Hanwoo Lee.
The target region is Entergy’s four-state utility footprint across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. The aim is to evaluate consumer energy demand, identify viable geographic candidate sites, and define commercial configurations. If plans advance, the projects will be built using a jointly managed project office. Holtec will lead the primary nuclear design and manufacturing, while HDEC handles the balance-of-plant engineering, construction, and procurement.
The SMR-300 design is an advanced, passively safe, pressurised light water with a capacity of 300 MWe /1050 MWt and a design life of 80 years. It uses a single heat transfer circuit and houses a core of 69 Framatome GAIA fuel assemblies. Each assembly uses standard ceramic pellets containing up to 5% enriched uranium dioxide avoiding the need for specialised, hard-to-source fuels. The used fuel pool is located entirely inside the fortified containment structure.
Potential projects in Entergy’s service territory would draw upon Holtec’s planned SMR-300 deployment at the Palisades site in Michigan, where the Pioneer 1&2 units are expected to become the global reference plant for future SMR-300 deployments. The construction permit application is under review by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), with pre-construction work taking place at the site. The expected completion date for the NRC’s safety and environmental impact evaluations is mid-2027 with final construction and operational grid connection targeted for the early 2030s.
The platform brings together the core elements required to commercialise advanced nuclear at scale – proven reactor technology, domestic manufacturing, integrated EPC delivery, and an operating reference plant. Major SMR-300 components are expected to be manufactured at Holtec’s Advanced Manufacturing Division (AMD) and future replica manufacturing facilities supporting fleet deployment.
“This collaboration represents another important step in Holtec’s strategy to commercialise the SMR-300 through strategic utility partnerships and its integrated delivery platform with Hyundai E&C and provides Entergy an opportunity to evaluate advanced nuclear as part of its broader, long-term resource planning considerations,” Holtec said. “As electricity demand accelerates across the United States, the collaboration establishes a pathway for the parties to assess where advanced nuclear may be needed to support industrial growth, AI infrastructure, grid reliability, and long-term energy security.”
In addition to Palisades, other SMR-300 deployment projects are being pursued in the US, and globally in the UK and Hungary.
At the Green River Advanced Nuclear Project in Utah, part of Utah’s “Operation Gigawatt” clean energy initiative, Blue Castle Holdings and Fulcrum Point Holdings (an affiliate of Hi Tech Solutions) established a joint venture to build a commercial nuclear plant based on SMR-300 technology, featuring an air-cooled condenser design suited for water-challenged areas. The initial strategic cooperation agreement was signed between Hi Tech Solutions, Holtec, and the State of Utah in 2025. The joint venture officially launched in May to advance the Green River site through immediate licensing and site development phases.
In the UK, Holtec and France’s EDF Energy formed a joint venture to submit a proposal for up to four SMR-300 units at the former coal-fired Cottam Power Station (Nottinghamshire) as the Second-of-a-Kind (SOAK) project. The reactors are slated to power a 1 GW data centre project on-site. In March, the SMR-300 design cleared Step 2 of the UK’s Generic Design Assessment (GDA) process and in June the joint project proposal and Heads of Terms were formally submitted to the UK Government. The on-site data centre is expected to come online by 2030 using initial grid infrastructure.2030s with the SMR units targeted to become fully operational in the 2030s.
In Hungary an international expansion effort exploring Central European deployment is underway. Holtec partnered with Hungary’s state-owned energy company MVM to evaluate the feasibility of integrating SMR-300 technology into the Hungarian power grid. A formal memorandum of understanding was signed in December 2025 to initiate site and grid assessment frameworks.
