NuScale Power and Doosan Enerbility have signed a major manufacturing contract to transition NuScale’s small modular reactor (SMR) technology from the planning phase into commercial scale hardware production. The agreement targets the fabrication of critical reactor components for the NuScale Power Module (NPM).
The contract covers the manufacturing of the First Article for the Upper Reactor Coolant System. This forms the upper section of the reactor pressure vessel, which houses high-temperature and high-pressure coolant. Production will take place at Doosan Enerbility’s specialised reactor manufacturing facility located in Changwon, South Korea.
This deal marks a pivotal evolution in their partnership, which dates back to 2019, moving beyond material preparation and design verification into physical fabrication of commercial-grade components.
“This agreement is a meaningful step in converting our approved design into deliverable modules,” said John Hopkins, NuScale President & CEO. “Doosan’s nuclear manufacturing facility and the work we have done together since 2019 give us the manufacturing capacity and process maturity we need to deliver NPMs on the schedules our customers require. The refinements made to the design through this collaboration improve manufacturability while preserving the performance and safety characteristics that earned NRC approval.”
While NuScale’s design was first and only SMR to have its designs certified by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the company has faced intense market scrutiny regarding execution risks. Industry analysts note that this agreement dramatically reduces supply chain uncertainty by proving that NuScale Power’s partners can build core equipment to exact specifications. However, the long-term investment narrative still hinges on turning tentative customer agreements (such as those with the Tennessee Valley Authority and RoPower) into fully financed, firm projects.
