W4.7tr 'SMR Strategy 2.0' unveiled

Doosan to build 5 global SMR lines in Changwon

3 key strategies to foster 100 independent exporters

Lee Mi-hwa, director general of South Gyeongsang Province's Industry Bureau, announces the "South Gyeongsang SMR Global Growth Strategy 2.0" at a press briefing at the provincial office press center in Changwon on Thursday.
Lee Mi-hwa, director general of South Gyeongsang Province's Industry Bureau, announces the "South Gyeongsang SMR Global Growth Strategy 2.0" at a press briefing at the provincial office press center in Changwon on Thursday.

South Gyeongsang Province has unveiled a mid- to long-term roadmap aiming to secure 60 percent of the global manufacturing market share for small modular reactors (SMRs), a next-generation nuclear power technology, by 2035.

The provincial government held a briefing at its press center on Thursday to present "South Gyeongsang SMR Global Growth Strategy 2.0," which calls for investing a total of 4.7 trillion won ($3.51 billion) over the next decade. The strategy aims to build a full-cycle ecosystem spanning research and development through exports. The province will pursue three key strategies and 11 core tasks centered on industry growth and market creation.

However, the announced total project cost of 4.7 trillion won is not entirely confirmed fiscal funding. It combines existing project budgets with the province's mid- to long-term funding plans aligned with the central government's energy and maritime development policies, as well as private-sector investment. The final split among state funds, local funds and private capital will depend on the outcome of future government solicitations and evaluations.

The core of South Gyeongsang's SMR production base is the Changwon plant of Doosan Enerbility, the region's anchor company. Doosan Enerbility is investing a total of 806.8 billion won to build the country's first dedicated SMR factory at its Changwon plant site. The project is fully funded by the company. The scale of state support will depend on a review of local investment promotion subsidies by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and other agencies.

The dedicated factory will house production lines for five key reactor models. These come from NuScale Power, X-energy and TerraPower of the United States; Rolls-Royce of the United Kingdom; and South Korea's own innovative SMR, or i-SMR. Building on this, the province aims to secure 60 percent of the global market share and cultivate 100 independent exporters.

The province will also work in parallel to build a regulatory and certification framework. It plans to pursue designation as an SMR special zone, which the Ministry of Science and ICT is set to solicit applications for in 2027. The zone will serve as a base for research, development and demonstration. It will then link this with a testing and inspection support center for SMR manufacturing components and a robot-based manufacturing support center, both secured in April. Together, they will complete a one-stop certification system within the southeastern region.

According to a provincial official, demand for SMR technology is expanding from traditional power generation facilities to the shipbuilding and defense industries. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration earmarked 96.6 billion won for developing a nuclear-powered submarine in its 2027 new project budget. In response, the province plans to work with local shipbuilding and defense conglomerates and nuclear equipment manufacturers to gain an early foothold in the market for specialized ship propulsion systems.

"South Gyeongsang is the country's largest nuclear power manufacturing hub, with a dense concentration of nuclear power manufacturing infrastructure and a skilled workforce," said Lee Mi-hwa, director general of South Gyeongsang Province's Industry Bureau. "We will complete a global SMR foundry hub linked to our core industries by securing the special zone designation and driving process innovation."


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