Gyeongbuk Province, Gyeongju City, and Korea Institute of Materials Science Join Hands... Establishing SMR Materials and Components Industrial Ecosystem

Gyeongbuk Province announced on the 9th that it has signed a business agreement with Gyeongju City and the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) to successfully establish the SMR materials, parts, and equipment (SMR MoBuJang) industrial ecosystem.

The agreement signed on the 7th is significant in that it includes the participation of KIMS, a global comprehensive materials research institute possessing the best domestic technology related to nuclear materials, parts, and equipment.

Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province (left), Lee Jung-hwan, Director of the Korea Institute of Materials Science (center), and Joo Nak-young, Mayor of Gyeongju City, are posing for a commemorative photo after signing a business agreement.

Through this agreement, the three organizations agreed to strengthen cooperation to establish an SMR MoBuJang industrial hub by developing technology for small modular reactor (SMR) materials, parts, and equipment, building infrastructure to support SMR manufacturing, developing an official certification system and testbed for SMRs, fostering specialized personnel, and establishing the KIMS Gyeongbuk Center.

Gyeongbuk Province has already attracted the Moonmu Daewang Science Research Institute, responsible for developing core next-generation reactor technologies including the domestic independent model, the innovative SMR, to Gampo, Gyeongju, and construction is currently underway with a target completion in 2025 to support SMR research and industrial ecosystem development.

Additionally, in March, the Gyeongju SMR National Industrial Complex was finally selected as a candidate site for the government’s regional advanced industry hub, with Korea Land and Housing Corporation appointed as the developer, and plans to complete the preliminary feasibility study within the year.

SMRs, included among the 12 national strategic technologies, have 71 types currently under development worldwide. They emit no carbon during power generation and have significantly enhanced safety, emerging as a next-generation energy source in the carbon-neutral era. The global market size is expected to reach 620 trillion KRW by 2035.

Securing economic feasibility is key to capturing the upcoming SMR market. Considering the complex internal equipment structure and modular design characteristics, it is urgent to timely secure innovative manufacturing technologies such as robotic welding and 3D printing.

Gyeongbuk Province plans to establish an SMR manufacturing support center within the Gyeongju National Industrial Complex in partnership with KIMS to create an SMR manufacturing base utilizing innovative manufacturing technologies. It will also progressively build an SMR innovation technology certification center and testbed to standardize manufacturing technologies, thereby establishing the SMR MoBuJang industrial ecosystem.

At the signing ceremony, Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, stated, “The SMRs developed with our technology at the Moonmu Daewang Science Research Institute will be manufactured at the Gyeongju National Industrial Complex and sold to the global market. We will steadily prepare for the Gyeongbuk Nuclear 3.0 era through the establishment of the SMR MoBuJang industrial ecosystem.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.