The South Korean government will launch a public-private joint initiative involving the nuclear and shipbuilding industries, targeting the start of small modular reactor (SMR) vessel construction by 2035. As SMR applications expand beyond conventional land-based power plants to ships, offshore plants, industrial complexes, and data centers, the strategy aims to preempt the next-generation offshore nuclear market by combining Korea's strengths in shipbuilding and nuclear technology.
The Ministry of Science and ICT held an "SMR Ship Corporate Roundtable" on the 29th at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) in Daejeon, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon, to discuss these plans. Attendees included KAERI, which leads the development of marine molten salt reactors (MSR), along with Samsung Heavy Industries, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, Hanwha Ocean, Century, and other SMR ship-related companies and academic officials.
At the fifth Science and Technology Ministerial Meeting on the 11th of last month, the government finalized 12 missions across eight areas under the K-Moonshot Project, selecting "early realization of eco-friendly SMR ships" as a key task. The plan calls for developing MSR-based SMR ships that meet requirements for miniaturization, safety, and long-term continuous operation suitable for marine environments.
The government has designated marine SMRs as a strategic task because the SMR competition is expanding into a race to secure application sites. SMRs have lower output than large nuclear reactors and can be modularized, making them applicable to various demand sources such as regions with weak power grids, industrial complexes, data centers, and offshore facilities. Ships, in particular, are an SMR application with high energy demand and direct links to Korea's industrial competitiveness. Large commercial vessels and offshore plants require long-term stable power, but alternative fuels such as batteries and hydrogen have limitations in storage space, supply chains, and economic feasibility. The government sees an opportunity to create a new high-value-added market in marine SMRs by combining Korea's shipbuilding technology with reactors that can operate for extended periods without refueling and produce no direct carbon emissions during operation.
Based on the SMR Special Act, which takes effect in September, the government will complete the basic design development of marine MSRs by 2029. Among various SMR technologies, MSRs are advantageous for marine SMR design because they simplify and miniaturize reactor structures more easily than conventional light-water reactors. MSRs also enable high-temperature operation for better energy efficiency and can stably supply heat and power for long periods without refueling. Basic ship designs capable of carrying MSRs will also be developed.
From 2032, the government will complete construction licensing preparations for MSR ships and enter the comprehensive design phase linking reactor design with ship design. Through these procedures, the government plans to begin constructing MSR-powered ships by 2035.
To shorten the development period, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) will also be expanded. After developing an SMR virtual reactor platform by 2029, the government will build an AI platform specialized for ships. The virtual reactor platform verifies design, operating conditions, and accident response scenarios in a digital environment before building an actual reactor. This will allow safety to be confirmed in advance and reduce time needed for design changes, accelerating the 2035 ship construction goal.
The government plans to form a "Public-Private Joint SMR Ship Task Force" to systematically discuss these tasks. The task force will serve as a cooperation channel between the government and companies across all stages, from original technology development to demonstration, commercialization, and international standards response. KAERI and Samsung Heavy Industries are conducting research aimed at completing the conceptual design of marine MSRs by the end of this year. HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Hanwha Ocean are also entering offshore SMR development, as domestic shipbuilders successively join the competition to preempt the marine nuclear market.
"Korea's ships must be converted to eco-friendly vessels by 2050, and we see the next five years as the golden time to preempt the market, so we intend to push forward with strong support measures," Deputy Prime Minister Bae said. "Starting today, we will push forward a large-scale public-private joint R&D project and seek various ways to shorten companies' design periods."
