TerraPower and HD Hyundai partner to scale Natrium reactor supply chain

Nuclear innovation company TerraPower and HD Hyundai announced a strategic collaboration to further scale the global manufacturing supply chain for Natrium reactor components.

The agreement combines HD Hyundai’s manufacturing expertise with TerraPower’s reactor technology, and will build new supply chain capacity to enable large-scale production and global deployment of Natrium plants.

According to TerraPower, the agreement with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, an affiliate of HD Hyundai specialising in shipbuilding, creates the manufacturing foundation necessary for full commercial deployment beyond the first project that is currently under development.

This partnership builds upon the existing relationship first established in 2024 when HD Hyundai Heavy Industries was competitively selected to develop the reactor vessel for the first Natrium plant in Wyoming.

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“TerraPower is committed to delivering our first Natrium plant in the United States, as well as rapidly deploying additional units at competitive prices during the next decade in the US and around the world. The Natrium technology provides crucial baseload power plus gigawatt-scale energy storage; these plants will provide reliable and flexible power to address growing energy demand,” said Chris Levesque, TerraPower president and CEO. “HD Hyundai Heavy Industries manufacturing capabilities are world-renowned, and I look forward to working with them to establish the commercial-scale production capacity that will be essential for successful deployment of multiple Natrium units globally.”

Kwang-shik Won, senior executive vice president & COO of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries commented: "With our extensive experience in high-precision manufacturing and large-scale industrial production, we are uniquely positioned to apply our proven expertise to support TerraPower's vision for commercial deployment. This agreement marks a transformative collaboration that will accelerate the commercial viability of next-generation nuclear energy solutions and help shape the future global energy landscape."

The Natrium plant features a 345MW sodium-cooled fast reactor plus an integrated energy storage system. TerraPower is currently building its first demonstration plan in Wyoming US. It will be located near a retiring coal-fired power plant and when complete, will be a fully functioning commercial power plant.