Doosan Corp.

Doosan Corp. reported a sharp rise in second-quarter net income attributable to shareholders of the parent company, which climbed to KRW 355.1 billion from KRW 78.6 billion a year earlier. Operating income increased to KRW 488.4 billion from KRW 354.4 billion in the prior-year period. Sales rose to KRW 5.58 trillion from KRW 5.31 trillion. Shares of the South Korean conglomerate were trading 0.50% higher at KRW 1,197,000 on the Korean Stock Exchange.

Rolls-Royce has begun a process to buy key nuclear island components, including reactor pressure vessels, from South Korea or the Czech Republic for its first UK small modular reactors, triggering concerns about how much of the British-designed plants will actually be built at home. The company is considering Korea's Doosan and Czech state energy giant CEZ for the contracts, which cover detailed design and pre-production, because only a handful of businesses globally can make the specialist equipment and construction must begin within five years. The reactor island accounts for about 20 to 25 percent of the SMR's production value, while the pressure vessel represents less than 0.5 percent, but the lack of a British bidder has been called extremely disappointing by UK Steel. Rolls-Royce had previously shortlisted UK locations for a £200 million pressure vessel factory before dropping the idea in summer 2024, and the decision is expected to trigger greater political scrutiny of the rest of its plan. The company insists it is committed to maximising localisation and says there is still potential for Sheffield Forgemasters to play a role, while other domestic opportunities include a major module assembly factory and turbine manufacturing, with ministers targeting at least 70 percent domestic content for the Anglesey SMRs.