S.Korea‘s SK weighs investing in small nuclear reactors, eyes Bill Gates’ TerraPower

div classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodivpBy Joyce Lee and Byungwook Kimp

pReuters – South Koreas SK Group said on Tuesday it was mulling investments in smallsized nuclear reactors and that one of the candidates was TerraPower, a U.S. venture founded by Bill Gates.pdivdivdiv classBodysc17zpet90 cdBBJodiv

pA spokesperson for SK Inc, the holding company of the No. 3 conglomerate in South Korea, confirmed that TerraPower is a potential investment target among many but nothing had been decided, including details such as the possible investment amount, stake size or partners.p

pFounded by Bill Gates in 2006, TerraPower designs small modular reactors SMR and plans to build its first reactor in Kemmerer, Wyoming by 2028. The 4 billion project is scheduled to begin in 2024, according to the company.p

pThe interest in SMR and TerraPower comes after SK Group Chairman Chey Taewon last year pledged to cut 200 million metric tonnes of carbon emissions in 2030, which is roughly 1 of the global carbon elimination goal of 21 billion tons by 2030, according to SK Group.p

pPresidentelect Yoon Sukyeol has pledged his support for nuclear power, which generated 27 of the nations electricity as of 2021, signaling a grand Uturn from incumbent President Moon Jaeins nuclear phaseout policy.p

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pp Reporting by Joyce Lee and Byungwook Kim Editing by Amy Caren Danielp

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