Samsung Heavy Industries and GasEntec have signed a memorandum of understanding for the commercialization of small-scale SENSE liquefaction technology. The agreement covers applications ranging from 50,000 to 1 million tonnes per year and represents the first time SHI has licensed its proprietary technology to an external party.
SENSE stands for Samsung Enhanced Nitrogen Split Expansion: an in-house liquefaction process developed by SHI to outperform standard methods in efficiency. GasEntec, a South Korean company founded in 2013 with over a decade of experience in modular LNG systems for both floating and onshore platforms, will use this technology to expand its capabilities from downstream into the midstream segment. The range of applications is broad: local LNG production for ports and maritime corridors, distribution from gas networks, monetization of stranded gas resources, fuel supply for remote facilities, and bunkering.
However, the most significant development for the nuclear sector lies elsewhere. SHI has explicitly stated that one of the group’s key strategic pillars is the development of new markets, including floating small modular reactors — known as FSMRs. This is not a new direction for the South Korean company: in July 2026, SHI had already signed an agreement with US engineering firm Sargent & Lundy to develop a standardized FSMR platform compatible with multiple reactor types, with an explicit focus on the American market. In December 2025, SHI received Approval in Principle from the American Bureau of Shipping for a floating nuclear platform housing two SMART100 reactors developed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute.
An FSMR is a floating structure on which one or more compact modular reactors are installed to generate electricity. The reactors, built in a factory setting, are mounted on offshore platforms — reducing the need for on-site construction, enabling mobility, and making it possible to deliver power where it is needed most, including remote coastal areas, islands, and offshore industrial infrastructure. The platform developed with Sargent & Lundy — a firm founded in 1891 with a nuclear track record dating back to 1954 — is designed to be reactor-agnostic, a feature that gives end customers flexibility in their technology choices.
The agreement with GasEntec fits into this broader strategic vision. SHI is not simply building ships: it is assembling a portfolio of floating energy technologies spanning LNG, nuclear power, and offshore data centers. The convergence of shipbuilding expertise and advanced energy infrastructure positions the South Korean group as one of the most active players in the transition toward low-emission energy sources deployable at sea. Should the FSMR projects reach commercial scale, Samsung Heavy Industries will have the technological supply chain and the right partners to be among the first to bring floating nuclear power plants to the global market.
