Doosan to Manufacture First Upper Module for NuScale Reactor Vessel Under New Contract

Key Facts

Doosan Enerbility announced on October 29, 2026, that it had signed a contract with NuScale Power to manufacture the first upper module of a reactor pressure vessel, in an agreement concluded at the company’s headquarters in Changwon. The announcement identifies the component as the upper module of the reactor pressure vessel, rather than referring generally to a major component. Doosan said the part to be manufactured is part of a NuScale small modular reactor. The contract marks a step from supplying reactor materials to manufacturing specific reactor equipment. The announcement did not state the contract value or the module’s delivery date.

The upper section is part of the reactor pressure vessel, which contains coolant operating under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions, according to The Korea Herald. This makes the module part of the reactor’s core structure, rather than merely a material used in its manufacture. Doosan said the contract expands its 2023 agreement with NuScale, which covered manufacturing materials for small modular reactors. The announced scope of cooperation thus shifts from materials to reactor equipment. But the statement did not disclose the value of this expansion or its delivery schedule.

NuScale CEO John Hopkins said Doosan’s production facilities and the companies’ cooperation, which began in 2019, support work to turn the approved design into units ready for delivery. His remarks highlight the relationship between the two companies over the years, culminating in the contract to manufacture the upper module. For his part, Kim Jong-do, head of Doosan’s nuclear business group, described the agreement as “an important milestone in the transition of small modular reactors from technical validation to actual manufacturing.” The description links the contract to the production phase, while the contract’s size and delivery date remain undisclosed. Doosan said NuScale’s design received the first design approval for a small modular reactor from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued standard design approval US460 on May 29, 2025, which can be used in applications for construction and operating licenses, according to the commission. The approval gives the design a regulatory status that can be used in those applications, but does not in itself mean that construction and operating projects have been carried out. NuScale says each unit of its design can produce 77 megawatts electric. It also says a 12-unit plant configuration provides capacity of up to 924 megawatts electric. The company describes its design as modular and factory-manufactured, and says this provides construction efficiency and scalability, with applications including electricity, hydrogen, desalination and heating.

Potential manufacturing expansion is linked to NuScale’s plans in the United States. The company announced that a program with ENTRA1 Energy and the Tennessee Valley Authority aims to establish six plants, collectively providing up to 6 gigawatts of baseload capacity around the clock in the authority’s service area. That figure applies to the program and does not describe Doosan’s capacity or the size of its contract. The Tennessee Valley Authority and ENTRA1 said the program could provide power equivalent to the needs of about 4.5 million homes or 60 new data centers. The authority said the electricity would be sold under future purchase agreements. Doosan’s announcement did not specify that the module covered by the contract is intended for any particular plant in that program.

Doosan plans to build a dedicated small modular reactor components plant in Changwon, with completion scheduled by 2028. The company says its annual capacity will exceed 20 units when fully operational, compared with current capacity of 12 units a year. This plan places the expansion of manufacturing capacity on a timeline separate from the announced contract, for which no delivery date was given. In a February 2026 investor update, NuScale said 12 units were in production and that required long-lead materials had already been ordered. The company added that these units “will pave the way for the next group of 12 units,” linking the advance availability of materials to a timing advantage for potential projects.

This trajectory reflects NuScale’s efforts to link its design and regulatory approval to the manufacture of components and units for potential projects, while Doosan expands its facilities dedicated to small modular reactors. The upper-module contract announced on October 29 remains a specific manufacturing step in that trajectory, with no published financial value or delivery schedule. The 6-gigawatt capacity figures and the plant planned for completion by 2028 relate to broader programs and plans, and do not on their own determine the size of the current contract or when it will be carried out.