Hyundai eyes exporting small nuclear reactors to Uzbekistan
South Korean Hyundai Engineering company plans to export small modular reactors used in the construction of small nuclear power plants in Uzbekistan, Trend reports.
Hyundai said the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) to cooperate in the export of technologies used in small reactors.
According to the memorandum, KAERI will be responsible for developing designs for future reactors and licensing them, while Hyundai will be involved in business planning, financing, engineering and construction work.
"Through this business agreement, preparations for the full-scale overseas exports will be completed. In the future, the company will expand its exports to Uzbekistan," Hyundai Engineering CEO Seung-Hyun Hong said.
The company states that the exported parts will be able to produce up to 110 MW of energy, while being one-tenth the size of conventional reactors.
Moreover, due to their compactness, the reactors can be built in remote and mountainous areas.
Meanwhile, in 2018, Uzbekistan and Russia signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the construction of nuclear power plants in the Uzbek regions.
The document provides for the construction of a nuclear power plant from two VVER-1200 generation ‘3+’ power units with a capacity of 1200 MW each from the Rosatom corporation.