Hyundai E&C Becomes a "Nuclear Power Mentor" in Texas, USA... Holds Large Nuclear Power Plant Technology Briefing

Hyundai Engineering & Construction has held a large nuclear power plant technology briefing for the U.S. construction industry and begun building a cooperation network. This move is aimed at strengthening its local partnership base ahead of signing the main engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract, which is targeted for the first half of this year.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction announced that it held a large nuclear power plant technology briefing on the 10th (local time) at The Westin Dallas Downtown Hotel in Dallas, Texas, USA. The seminar covered the distinctive aspects of nuclear power plant construction, including nuclear power plant construction standards, installation of major machinery, modular construction, special construction works, heavy lifting, nuclear power plant architecture, and professional workforce development. Around 100 officials from U.S. nuclear power and construction companies, including construction firms in Texas, attended the event. Many representatives from leading Texas construction companies participated, as well as top-tier construction companies selected by the U.S. construction and engineering magazine ENR, with which Hyundai Engineering & Construction signed a relay agreement last year.

A Hyundai Engineering & Construction representative explained the installation procedures for in-reactor equipment, a core construction technology for large nuclear power plants, at the "Hyundai Engineering & Construction Large Nuclear Power Plant Technology Briefing" held on the 10th (local time) at The Westin Dallas Downtown in Dallas, Texas, USA. Hyundai Engineering & Construction

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The background to this event is “Project Matador,” a comprehensive energy campus with a total capacity of 11 gigawatts (GW) that U.S. energy developer Fermi Energia is promoting on a site of approximately 21.19 million square meters on the outskirts of Amarillo, Texas. The project consists of four units (4 GW) of Westinghouse AP1000 large nuclear power plants, small modular reactors (SMRs, 2 GW), gas combined-cycle power plants (4 GW), and solar power plus battery energy storage systems (1 GW). Last year, Hyundai Engineering & Construction signed a front-end engineering design (FEED) service contract with Fermi Energia for the four large nuclear power units within this project and is currently carrying out work such as developing the site layout plan, reviewing cooling methods, and calculating budget and schedule. The goal is to sign the main EPC contract in the first half of this year.

The reason Hyundai Engineering & Construction went as far as holding a local technology briefing is closely tied to the current state of the U.S. nuclear power ecosystem. In the United States, new nuclear power plant construction has been halted for decades, leading to a significant contraction in specialized manpower and the supply chain. Participation by local companies is essential to execute large-scale nuclear power projects, but the long construction hiatus has sharply reduced the number of personnel and companies with on-site experience. For Hyundai Engineering & Construction, there is a practical objective of promoting its technological capabilities while also securing local partners to collaborate with when carrying out the EPC contract in the future.

In his congratulatory remarks at the event, Mesut Uzman, CEO of Fermi Nuclear, said, “Electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence (AI) is increasing faster than expected, and over the next 10 years, the key will be how quickly power infrastructure can be built,” adding, “Hyundai Engineering & Construction is a company with the industrial scale and execution capability to carry out large energy projects, and we see this collaboration as a significant step in rebuilding the United States' energy production capacity.”

A Hyundai Engineering & Construction official said, “We will strive not only to carry out the project but also to build a sustainable cooperation structure for nuclear power plant construction in Texas and, further, across the United States.”

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