South Korea is finalizing an investment package in NuScale Power's small modular reactor program as part of its $200 billion U.S. investment commitment, according to disclosures and reports from late May and early June 2026. The package, which would also fund an initial SMR plant in the Uljin region, ties NuScale into a Korean nuclear supply chain anchored by Doosan Enerbility and Samsung C&T.
Why this could be NuScale's break
NuScale's VOYGR design is the only light-water small modular reactor certified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but the company has not yet signed a binding sale agreement. A Korean off-take and equity injection would give NuScale its first deployable customer and a manufacturing partner with proven heavy-forging capability — solving two of the biggest obstacles to first-of-a-kind SMR commercialization.
Doosan and Samsung C&T's role
Doosan Enerbility, already an equity holder in NuScale, would manufacture reactor pressure vessels, steam generators and core internals as it ramps up nuclear-component output through 2027. Samsung C&T, the engineering and construction arm of Samsung Group, is expected to lead the EPC scope for the Uljin pilot. The arrangement mirrors Korea's earlier nuclear export model, which combined Doosan equipment with Korean utility operating expertise to deliver plants in the UAE.
U.S. policy backdrop
The Korean negotiation runs in parallel with the U.S. Department of Energy's Tier 2 Gen III+ SMR program, which awarded roughly $100 million in fast-follower deployment support in May 2026 to spur additional SMR builds. The combination of policy support and an anchor customer is what NuScale investors have been waiting for after several years of stalled deals and project cancellations.
What to watch next
Investors are watching for formal contract signing and confirmation of the Uljin site selection. Korean local approvals, NRC export-control sign-off and the financing structure of the proposed equity investment are the gating items. If consummated, the deal would be the largest single commercial commitment to U.S. SMR technology to date and a likely catalyst for parallel clean-energy supply-chain deals across Asia.
Reporting based on coverage from KED Global, The Motley Fool, Quiver Quantitative and Simply Wall St.