Samsung C&T is set to target the European small modular reactor (SMR) market beginning in Estonia.
On April 1, the construction division of Samsung C&T signed a teaming agreement for local SMR development with the Estonian private nuclear company Fermi Energia during the "Energy Mission Conference" held at the Estonia Business Hub in Jung-gu, Seoul.
Fermi Energia was established in 2019 by local energy and nuclear experts for the construction of SMRs in Estonia. Last year, the company announced two potential sites approximately 100 km east of Tallinn, Estonia's capital, where it plans to introduce the 300 MW 'BWRX-300' technology, an upgraded version of a boiling water reactor (BWR).
The BWRX-300 is an SMR developed by GE Hitachi, a joint venture between General Electric from the United States and Hitachi from Japan. This technology has proven its global competitiveness, having secured a contract in January 2023 with Ontario Power Generation for a new nuclear project in the Darlington area, with the first unit set to begin construction this year.
Through this agreement, Samsung C&T plans to participate in the early stages of the project, from establishing the business structure, cost estimation, and site evaluation during the pre-front-end engineering and design (Pre-FEED) phase to the basic design (FEED) stage for the SMR construction being pursued by Fermi Energia.
This involvement positions Samsung C&T favorably for the final EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) contract that will follow. Both companies aim to begin the substantive project procedures as early as the second half of this year. The project is targeting commercial operation by 2035.
"We plan to strengthen our position as a global SMR player by successfully advancing Estonia's first SMR project," said Kim Jung-eun, Head of Samsung C&T's Nuclear Sales Team.
