Industry Update—February 2026

California-headquartered data center developer and operator Equinix has signed a preorder agreement with French molten salt reactor developer Stellaria under which Equinix gains the first power capacity reservation for Stellaria’s Stellarium reactor. Stellaria, which spun off from the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, plans to begin deploying this compact reactor in 2035. According to the company, the reactor will be able to use a diversified range of nuclear fuels, including uranium, plutonium, mixed oxide, minor actinides, and thorium.

Canada’s Candu Energy, which is part of the AtkinsRéalis Group, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Argentina’s Nucleoelectrica under which Nucleoelectrica will provide engineering, technical, and maintenance services for Candu-type nuclear power plants in Canada and internationally. The MOU also enables Candu Energy to participate in projects within Argentina’s nuclear energy sector. AtkinsRéalis is currently working on the design of its highest output Candu reactor yet: the Generation III+ 1,000-MW Candu Monark.

Italy-based microreactor developer Terra Innovatum has signed a letter of intent with U.S. technology firm Uvation to begin a pilot program for deploying its 1-MWe (5-MWt) Solo reactor in support of Uvation’s AI and data center needs. The agreement includes a strategic option to scale the Solo design up to 100 MWe. The Italian company is currently engaged in preapplication activities with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Rolls-Royce SMR has signed an MOU with the Czech Republic’s ÚJV Řež focused on deepening their cooperation in the implementation of small modular reactor technology in the Czech Republic. The Czech government previously had selected Rolls-Royce SMR’s technology to provide as much as 3 GW of capacity in the country through the services of ČEZ, which also owns a 20 percent stake in Rolls-Royce SMR.

Finland’s Steady Energy has signed an MOU with Korea District Heating Corporation regarding cooperation in the use of SMRs for the generation of district heat in South Korea. Steady Energy, which was spun out of Finland’s VTT Technical Research Centre in 2023, has developed a 10-meter-high SMR that is deployed underground, making it well suited for dense urban areas, such as Seoul. The LDR-50 SMR has a thermal output of 50 MW, and it is designed to produce only heat, not electricity.

Poland’s Synthos Green Energy (SGE) and South Korea’s Samsung C&T Corp. have signed an MOU on possible future partnership opportunities for deploying GE Vernova Hitachi’s BWRX-300 SMR in Central and Eastern Europe. The companies agreed to collaborate on feasibility studies, site surveys, and environmental impact assessments regarding SGE’s SMR plans for Poland, as well as potential further collaboration in the Central and Eastern European markets, where SGE has been pursuing expansion.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTS

Geosyntec to acquire business specializing in DOE projects

Geosyntec, a Florida-based global company specializing in environmental engineering and consulting, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Longenecker & Associates, a woman-owned small business that has been recognized for its work in supporting Department of Energy missions related to national security, environmental remediation, and nuclear energy. The acquisition is expected to accelerate Geosyntec’s expansion within the federal sector, as well as broaden the consultancy firm’s service capabilities and global market access.

California-based TAE Technologies and the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) have formed a joint venture to commercialize TAE’s proprietary particle accelerator technology for the global market. The joint venture, called TAE Beam UK, will design, develop, manufacture, and service neutral beams for a variety of fusion-related purposes. It will also adapt accelerator technology for use in cancer therapeutics, food safety, and homeland security. The joint venture will operate out of UKAEA’s Culham Campus in Oxfordshire.

Michigan-based Arbor Halides, a developer of the specialized fuel salts used in molten salt reactors (MSRs), has secured a materials license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission authorizing the company to possess and handle uranium and thorium at quantities sufficient for engineering-scale materials development. Emerging MSR technologies use uranium or thorium fuels in the form of molten halide salts. However, there is currently no commercial domestic source for these fuel salts. In the near-term, the company plans to produce kilogram-scale quantities of uranium chloride, uranium fluoride, thorium chloride, and thorium fluoride. As MSR developers move closer to commercialization, the company intends to scale up production—initially to ton-scale production and ultimately to the manufacture of enriched uranium fuel salts. Arbor Halides was incorporated in 2024 as a spinout from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor.

Tokyo-based Helical Fusion has signed a power purchase agreement with Aoki Super Company, a major supermarket chain in central Japan that hopes to use fusion technology to provide power for heating, cooling, lighting, and refrigeration/freezing equipment. Since 2021, Helical Fusion has been working to develop a fusion reactor based on the helical stellarator design that was originally explored at Japan’s National Institute for Fusion Science.

CONTRACTS

Canadian consortium signs on to support Bulgaria’s AP1000 project

A consortium consisting of Laurentis Energy Partners, Canadian Nuclear Partners SA, and BWXT Canada has signed an owner’s engineer contract to advance the deployment of two new Westinghouse AP1000 units at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant in Bulgaria. The contract was signed with the project company Kozloduy NPP-New Build, which plans to have the first new AP1000 unit (Kozloduy-7) operational in 2035 and the second (Kozloduy-8) in 2037. According to the contract, the consortium will provide specialized technical advisory services and project management oversight for all major phases of the Kozloduy New Build project.

Korea Electric Power Corporation Plant Service and Engineering (KEPCO KPS) has signed a collaboration agreement with Spain’s Grupo Dominguis Energy Services (GDES) to further their joint development activities and expand their cooperation in the Spanish and French markets regarding nuclear power plant maintenance. KEPCO KPS is known for its expertise in diagnostics, performance improvement, and operation and maintenance for both conventional and renewable energy facilities. The company’s technology is focused on digitalization, predictive maintenance, and management of critical assets. GDES has extensive experience in the construction, maintenance, and decommissioning of Spain’s nuclear power plants.

KEPCO and Turkey’s Türkiye Nükleer Enerji AS have signed an MOU on cooperation in nuclear energy. The MOU is aimed at facilitating the mutual sharing of technical data, information, experience, and know-how between Turkey and South Korea as the countries work on joint projects, which are expected to be in such areas as development of nuclear power plants and technology, site evaluation, project financing, and human resources development.

KEPCO and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Company have signed an MOU to expand their cooperation in nuclear energy technologies, including in the areas of small modular reactors, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation. The MOU covers such technologies as AI-based predictive maintenance, plant optimization tools, digital twins, and machine learning to enhance nuclear power plant safety and efficiency. The agreement is designed to support the civil nuclear fleets in South Korea and the United Arab Emirates and to facilitate cooperation in potential nuclear energy projects in other countries.

A second MOU signed by the companies addresses digital transformation across nuclear operations in the wider Middle East, including through joint research and deployment regarding digital twins, predictive maintenance, and intelligent monitoring systems.

China National Nuclear Corporation Overseas Ltd. and Brazil’s National Nuclear Energy Commission have signed an MOU to strengthen their existing partnership on nuclear-related environmental protection and radioactive waste management in Brazil. The partnership allows Brazil to gain access to established practices used by China for the treatment and final disposal of radioactive waste in modern nuclear facilities.