사진 확대
Bill Gates, founder of TerraPower and chairman of the Gates Foundation, is expected to visit Korea next month to discuss cooperation in energy fields, including small modular reactors (SMRs).
According to industry sources on the 29th, Gates is scheduled to visit Korea next month and meet with Prime Minister Han Seong-sook. The meeting was reportedly requested first by Gates’ side. Specific agenda items and the list of attendees are likely to be coordinated by SK Group, TerraPower’s major shareholder. During his visit, Gates is expected to meet with domestic companies, including SK and HD Hyundai, to discuss ways to cooperate on SMR projects.
Founded by Gates in 2008, TerraPower is developing Natrium, a fourth-generation reactor based on a sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) that uses liquid sodium as a coolant. In March, it received a construction permit from the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for Kemmerer Unit 1 in Wyoming, and began full-scale reactor construction in April. It is the first case in the United States in which a commercial-scale next-generation nuclear power plant has received a construction permit.
Participation by domestic companies is also taking shape. SK Group invested $250 million in 2022 and became a major TerraPower shareholder. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries was selected in May as the preferred bidder to supply key equipment for the reactor enclosure system (RED), a main component.
[Lee Jin-han]
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
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TerraPower
SMR alliance
HD Hyundai
SK Group
project concretization
Gates Foundation
Prime Minister