South Korean shipbuilding company Samsung Heavy Industries has signed a memorandum of understanding with Danish-based reactor developer Seaborg on the development of a floating nuclear power plant.
Samsung Heavy said on April 12 that the floating power plant will be integrated with Sieborg’s Compact Molten Salt Reactor (CSMR) technology, a next-generation carbon-free energy source.
The agreement also covers the development of hydrogen production plants and ammonia plants.
Jin Taek Jung, president and chief executive officer of Samsung Heavy Industries, said his company plans to open up the CMSR-based floating nuclear power plant market “as part of strengthening new business opportunities in the future.” Said. Offshore energy report.
“CMSR is a carbon-free energy source that can efficiently address climate change issues and is a next-generation technology that meets Samsung Heavy Industries’ vision,” Jung said in a statement.
“Furthermore, when an abnormal signal occurs in a nuclear reactor, the molten salt, which is a liquid nuclear fuel, solidifies, preventing serious accidents at the source, and providing high safety and high efficiency power and hydrogen production at the same time. “He says. Added.
According to Seaborg WebsiteCMSR fuel is mixed with a liquid salt that acts as a coolant to prevent it from melting or exploding in an emergency.
The design of a floating nuclear power plant is for a modular CMSR power barge that can generate up to 800 MW of power with a 24-year operating life.
The Korean energy company began expanding its nuclear business after President Yoon Seok-yul promised to add a nuclear power plant and suggested a U-turn from President Moon Jae-in’s nuclear phase abolition policy.
SK Group said on April 12 that it is considering investing in a small nuclear reactor, citing TerraPower, a US venture company founded by Bill Gates, as a candidate. However, a spokesman for the company said the details of the investment have not yet been finalized.
A rethinking of the country’s energy mix arises when the crisis in Ukraine highlights the risks of excessive reliance on oil and gas imports and the inclusion of nuclear power in the European Union’s sustainable carbon-neutral goals.
Currently, nuclear power accounts for about 27% of Korea’s electricity mix, with 35% coal and 29% liquefied natural gas. Yun has promised to increase the contribution of nuclear power generation to 30% and export 10 nuclear power plants by 2030.
However, policy uncertainty caused by constitutional restrictions on a single five-year presidential term has exacerbated the business risk of industries that rely on long-term investment and commitment.
Cho Seung-eun, CEO of Mujin Kae-young, a nuclear subcontractor with 100 to 50 people five years ago, said his company “has lost all its capacity” to build a nuclear power plant. .. Of profit. “
“Nuclear power plants [three to four] With years of advance planning, five years means that more human resources are left for work with a clearer future.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Aldgra Fredly is a Malaysia-based freelance writer featuring the Epoch Times Asia Pacific News.