Chapter 126: Planning on Acquisition

"Nuscale?" Hana repeated the name of the company. She hasn’t heard of it from the energy enterprise. Perhaps, it’s a new company that Timothy found from Google? "I don’t think I’ve come across that name in the energy sector. Is it new?""That’s right, Nuscale..." Timothy confirmed as he prepared to explain to her what that company is. "It is an American company developing small modular reactors, SMRs. Essentially, they’re compact nuclear power plants designed for scalable energy generation."

Hana blinked. "Scalable nuclear power plants? You mean... small reactors that work like the big ones?"

"Exactly," Timothy said, a faint hint of enthusiasm in his tone. "Traditional reactors are massive — multi-billion-dollar installations that take decades to build. NuScale’s technology compresses that into modular units that can be mass-produced, assembled faster, and even deployed in clusters. Think of it as the factory-made version of nuclear power."

Hana frowned slightly, trying to process the idea. "So you’re saying instead of building one massive plant, we could build ten smaller, which would then power the proposed factories that will be built in the Philippines, including the ones that were already constructed?"

Timothy nodded. "Yes. Each reactor produces around 77 megawatts of power. Twelve modules, when combined, can produce about 924 megawatts enough to power a large city or a major industrial zone."

"But what’s the catch with it? If it’s so impressive like you mentioned, why haven’t I heard of it before?"

"It’s because the company is new," Timothy explained, resting one arm on the edge of the table. "And because it’s controversial. NuScale’s concept is brilliant on paper, modular reactors that can be built in factories and shipped to the site. But critics say it’s not as efficient in practice as the numbers suggest."

Hana’s brows furrowed. "How so?"

"Well," Timothy began, "for one, the economics. Small modular reactors sound cheaper because each unit is smaller, but when you account for the containment, licensing, security, and maintenance, costs scale up. Some experts say that, per kilowatt-hour, SMRs could end up more expensive than traditional nuclear plants until the manufacturing process reaches full industrial scale."

Hana nodded slowly, taking it in. "So... it’s like electric vehicles in the early days. Revolutionary idea, but costly to start."

"Exactly," Timothy said with a faint grin. "Except in this case, you’re dealing with atomic energy, not batteries. Governments are cautious. Investors are cautious. And every single design detail, from cooling systems to reactor vessel weight, gets scrutinized. There are engineers questioning the actual passive safety systems, saying that if one module fails, it might still need external backup to prevent overheating."

"Wait," Hana interjected. "I thought you said they don’t rely on external cooling?"

"They don’t, in theory," Timothy clarified. "But the design still depends on water circulation in a sealed containment. If anything compromises that loop, it’s still vulnerable, even if the risk is a fraction of older reactors. The critics say it’s not the technology that’s flawed, it’s the optimism."

Hana crossed her arms thoughtfully. "So that’s why it hasn’t scaled yet."

Timothy nodded. "The first commercial project in the U.S. was supposed to be in Idaho. But the cost estimate ballooned from $5 billion to nearly $9 billion before construction even began. And now, some investors are backing out, citing economic uncertainty."

"Then why are you still interested in them?" Hana asked softly, watching him.

Timothy smiled faintly, the kind of smile that suggested he already knew the answer. "Because they’re first. Every disruptive technology starts with criticism. Look at Tesla in its early years, people laughed at the idea of mass-producing electric cars. Look at SpaceX, reusable rockets were a fantasy. But now, they define their industries."

He paused, then leaned forward slightly. "NuScale’s not perfect. But the foundation is there, a scalable nuclear solution that could power factories, ports, and even cities without relying on coal or gas."

"So...what are you going to do?"

Timothy pondered for a moment. Nuscale SMR technology, if he reconstructed their product into its perfect design where most of the problems it has is solved, it would definitely disrupt the energy business. After all, in the next decade, or the future, technological advancements require a huge amount of power. For example, data centers, EV gigafactories, semiconductor fabs, all of them were hungry for energy. Cheap, stable, and clean power wasn’t a luxury anymore; it was survival fuel for the next industrial age.

Timothy exhaled slowly and said, "Then we buy them."

Hana blinked, stunned for a moment. "Buy... NuScale? You mean, acquire them outright?"

He nodded, his expression calm but sharp, the look of someone already ten steps ahead. "Their stock value has been sliding for months. Most investors are pulling out because they think nuclear’s too risky in this economy. They’re wrong. It’s not risky, it’s undervalued. The market just doesn’t see the long-term picture yet."

"But NuScale’s an American company," Hana said cautiously. "Wouldn’t that be... difficult? There are export laws, security regulations,"

"Hana, I don’t like being told that my hands are tied," Timothy said. "If you want something, there are ways. I’m planning on acquiring Nuscale and then establish a new company, TG Energy Systems, under which all future energy operations will be consolidated," Timothy continued. "NuScale’s acquisition will be the foundation. We’ll restructure it, absorb its patents, rebrand its SMR design, and adapt it to fit our infrastructure in Asia. Once it’s under TG Energy Systems, we won’t just be buying nuclear technology, we’ll own the next generation of industrial energy."

Hana’s eyes widened slightly. "So TG Energy Systems will be your energy division? Like how TG Mobility handles vehicles?"

"Exactly," Timothy said, leaning back in his chair. "But unlike those divisions, this one won’t rely on any other power source. It is the power source."

He stood, turning toward the window where the lights of Singapore shimmered against the evening sky. "We’ll begin the process. Tell me there is a need to know when acquiring a US-based company. That will be your task."