Doosan Enerbility Contracts to Fabricate Upper Reactor Coolant System for NuScale SMR

Contract Scope and Facility

Doosan Enerbility has entered into a manufacturing agreement with NuScale Power covering production of the upper reactor coolant system, the component that forms the upper section of the reactor pressure vessel and contains reactor coolant under high-temperature, high-pressure conditions. Fabrication will be carried out at Doosan Enerbility's nuclear production facility in Changwon, South Korea, where a signing ceremony attended by senior executives from both companies was held.

The agreement represents a progression in the two companies' collaboration. A 2023 contract covered the manufacture of materials for the small modular reactor programme; the new arrangement moves into the fabrication of reactor components intended for commercial deployment.

Programme Background

The partnership between the two companies dates to 2019, during which time they have jointly developed manufacturing processes, supply-chain arrangements, and production infrastructure to support deployment of the NuScale Power Module (NPM). The NPM is a pressurised water reactor that integrates steam generation and heat exchange into a single unit rated at 77 MWe. In September 2020 it became the first SMR design to receive design approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NuScale offers the modules in multi-unit plant configurations, including a twelve-module VOYGR-12 plant capable of generating 924 MWe, as well as four- and six-module variants.

Doosan Enerbility had previously placed a long-lead production order for an upper reactor pressure vessel in March 2023 in connection with the Carbon Free Power Project in the United States, a six-module plant that was subsequently cancelled by mutual agreement in November 2023. NuScale has stated its intention to transfer those modules to its next customer.

Romania Deployment and Manufacturing Readiness

The first-of-a-kind NuScale SMR project is now planned for construction at a former coal plant site in Doicești, Romania, making it the reference deployment for the commercial NPM programme.

Both parties indicated that manufacturing capacity will need to scale significantly as the programme advances. Doosan Enerbility noted plans to strengthen its supply chain and manufacturing readiness to support follow-on orders. NuScale's president and chief executive described the agreement as a meaningful step in converting the approved design into deliverable modules, citing Doosan Enerbility's manufacturing facility and the process maturity developed since 2019 as key enablers for meeting customer delivery schedules.