Kairos × Samsung C&T: strategic investment, up to $100M, on the Hermes 2 build (Sep 22–24)
From the Energy digest for 2026-10-02
Kairos Power and Samsung C&T signed a binding term sheet: the Korean E&C firm takes a strategic stake in Kairos and — per the Hermes 2 follow-up item — provides up to $100M in direct investment and in-kind engineering services, joining the EPC effort on the Hermes 2 demonstration plant in Oak Ridge (TVA holds power-purchase agreements in the Hermes fleet). A Korean heavy-industry anchor investor attaching to a U.S. SMR developer is the same pattern as the Korea framework in story 2, one layer down.
What's genuinely new: money-in rather than contracts-for — Samsung C&T moves from prospective E&C partner to owner-adjacent EPC consortium member.