South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility has signed a preferred vendor agreement with Canada’s Candu Energy (part of AtkinsRéalis) to pursue collaboration on nuclear projects. The signing ceremony, which was held at Lotte Hotel Seoul, was attended by Candu Energy President Gary Rose and Jongdoo Kim, CEO of Doosan Enerbility’s Nuclear Business Group.
Candu Energy had shortlisted nine companies from some 2,000 vendors for the role of preferred vendor. Doosan Enerbility was the only non-Canadian company among the nine. In April, Candu Energy concluded preferred vendor agreements with eight Canadian companies – BC Instruments, BWXT, Celeros, ES Fox, Niagara Energy, NWI Precision, Senior Flexonics and Velan. Candu Energy said these companies would benefit from preferential access to key contracts and the deployment of new Candu reactors in Canada and abroad.
Upon signing this agreement, Doosan Enerbility will now be able to expand its participation in global nuclear projects, as it will have the chance to engage in the design, manufacturing, installation, commissioning and operation processes of global NPP projects being undertaken by Candu Energy. Currently, a total of 31 Candu reactors are in operation around the world, including in Canada, South Korea, Romania, China and Argentina.
In 2024, Doosan Enerbility won orders from Candu Energy to supply feeder pipes for unit 1 of the Cernavoda NPP in Romania and for the four reactors at Canada’s Pickering B station.
Candu pressurised heavy water reactors are designed to operate for 30 years, with a further 30 years available following extensive refurbishment. This includes the replacement of steam generators, pressure tubes, 480 calandria fuel channels and 960 feeder tubes. Thousands of components, including those not accessible when the reactor is assembled, are inspected, and replaced during the refurbishment. This process is currently underway at Bruce Power’s eight-unit plant in Canada.
In 2023, AtkinsRéalis unveiled plans for a new 1,000 MWe Candu Monark, a Generation III+ reactor with higher output. The conceptual design phase was completed in September 2024 and it is currently in the planning stage of a vendor design review with the Canadian nuclear regulator.
“The Candu technology has already been successfully rolled out to the four continents of the world and been proven to be a product of the highest reliability,” said Candu Energy President Gary Rose. “As we endeavour to strengthen our supplier capabilities for Candu’s global projects, including those in the Asian region, we are delighted to have Doosan Enerbility come on board as one of our global supply chain partners.”
Jongdoo Kim, CEO of Doosan Enerbility’s Nuclear Business Group said the company’s selection is a verification of the Korean nuclear industry’s competitiveness in the global market. “With the signing of this agreement, we aim to participate in not only Candu Energy’s heavy-water reactor facility upgrade projects, but also in nuclear new build projects.”
