HanmiGlobal holds SMR seminar in Washington, eyes US market entry

Doosan Enerbility, Posco International, Korea Power Engineering join event

HanmiGlobal and AtkinsRealis signed a strategic alliance agreement in May for cooperation on US industrial plant and energy projects. Pictured from left: Steve Morris, president of AtkinsRealis' Americas and Latin America division, and Kim Yong-sik, president of HanmiGlobal. [HanmiGlobal]

HanmiGlobal is moving to formally enter the US small modular reactor market. The company plans to hold seminars there and establish a new SMR project development entity in the country.

HanmiGlobal said Tuesday it hosted an SMR seminar in Washington, D.C., on June 22 (local time), targeting potential customers in the US market.

The seminar was co-hosted by HanmiGlobal and the Global America Business Institute (GABI), a Washington-based international energy and climate policy organization.

Attendees included representatives from EdgeCore, a major US data center operator, as well as power supply organizations including Dominion Energy and the Edison Electric Institute. Nuclear industry leaders, project specialists and policymakers also participated.

Leading US SMR reactor developers TerraPower, ARC Clean Technology and Core Power also took part. From South Korea, key nuclear supply chain companies — including Doosan Enerbility, Posco International, Korea Power Engineering and Energin — joined discussions on SMR deployment structures and data center power infrastructure cooperation.

Amid the rapid expansion of AI data centers driving demand for round-the-clock, carbon-free power, HanmiGlobal used the seminar to present its SMR project execution framework, cooperation models, project management capabilities and plans to establish a new US subsidiary.

The US SMR market is widely regarded as a high-growth sector, driven by rising electricity demand and carbon neutrality policy. However, actual project execution involves significant hurdles, including complex licensing procedures, supply chain development, cost management and coordination between project owners and technology providers.

HanmiGlobal plans to establish a dedicated SMR project development company in the United States that will provide integrated management across the entire project lifecycle — from early-stage planning and licensing through design, procurement, construction and grid connection.

Through this approach, the company aims to go beyond simple construction participation and build project development capabilities spanning planning, execution and construction management in the US market. The new US entity will also serve as a base to help South Korean nuclear design firms, equipment suppliers and construction partners gain stable access to the American market.

HanmiGlobal has been strengthening its global nuclear business capabilities in recent months. In January, it signed a strategic alliance agreement with Korea Power Engineering and UK project and cost management firm Turner & Townsend to pursue global nuclear project opportunities.

Then in May, it signed a strategic alliance agreement with AtkinsRealis — ranked No. 1 globally in the construction management and project management category by US trade publication ENR — to jointly pursue industrial plant and nuclear projects in the United States.

The company has also been building a track record in the nuclear sector. Last year, HanmiGlobal won a project management contract for the life extension of Unit 1 at Romania's Cernavoda nuclear power plant. This year it secured a project management technical support contract for the new construction of Shin Hanul Units 3 and 4.

"The US SMR market is expected to grow explosively on the back of AI data center expansion and rising power demand," a HanmiGlobal official said. "Drawing on our extensive project execution experience in the US construction market and South Korea's proven nuclear technology, we are moving forward with plans to establish an SMR project development company in the United States."

quq@heraldcorp.com