Korean-US partnership for floating SMR platform

Under the MoU, Samsung Heavy Industries and Sargent & Lundy (S&L) plan to develop a standard floating small modular reactor (FSMR) platform for multiple reactor types "thereby providing versatility to enable the installation of various types of reactors and offering flexible options to shipowners and customers", Samsung Heavy Industries said. In addition, the two companies agreed to cooperate in key stages of loating small modular reactor commercialisation, such as development, licensing support, construction planning, and sea area deployment strategies, in order to visualise the early commercial deployment of the loating small modular reactor standard platform.

"Furthermore, we plan to improve the technical completeness of FSMR to meet changing international and US regulatory standards," Samsung Heavy Industries said. "This agreement targets the global market, including the United States, and is expected to be a key step in advancing the FSMR project, currently at the conceptual design stage, to the actual commercial deployment stage.

"With the recent surge in electricity demand across all industries alongside the expansion of artificial intelligence data centres, it is attracting attention as an effective energy infrastructure for coastal island regions where securing onshore production sites is difficult or power grid connectivity is limited."

"The collaboration between S&L and Samsung Heavy Industries on FSMR development will be a significant step forward for the future of clean energy in the United States," said Shiven Sulkar, Chief Nuclear Officer (Vice President) of S&L. "We expect that the combination of S&L's nuclear engineering leadership and Samsung Heavy Industries' proven offshore platform expertise will accelerate the development of FSMRs tailored to the US market and provide power utility companies, coastal states, and federal agencies with a flexible pathway for nuclear power adoption."

Kim Kyung-hee, Head of Samsung Heavy Industries' Future Business Division, added: "Cooperation with S&L, a global leader in nuclear power plant design and engineering, will be a milestone that takes Samsung Heavy Industries' FSMR technology to the next level. We will accelerate the advancement of FSMR technology, a next-generation growth engine, to lead the global offshore nuclear power market."

Samsung Heavy Industries received Approval in Principle from the American Bureau of Shipping in December 2025 for a floating marine nuclear power platform featuring two SMART100 small modular reactors developed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI). Under the certification process, Samsung Heavy Industries was responsible for the integration of the SMRs with the floating structure, the overall design of the nuclear power generation facilities, and the development of a multi-barrier reactor containment system. KAERI, meanwhile, adapted the land-based SMART100 SMR for offshore applications.

Although the Approval in Principle granted by the ABS is for a floating platform incorporating two SMART100 reactors, Samsung Heavy Industries said at the time that the concept can be adapted so that different SMR designs can be used.