A South Korean consortium has won a bid to upgrade a research nuclear reactor and build a new research facility in the Netherlands.

The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning told a news briefing that the consortium led by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has been named as the preferred bidder for the Netherlands’ 26 billion won project.

The consortium will upgrade the research reactor at Delft University of Technology to increase its capacity and build a research facility on cold neutron source.

Vice Science Minister Lee Sang-mok said that it is a significant achievement for South Korea to expand its export of atomic technology to Europe, in which nuclear technology is among the best in the world.

The South Korean consortium is known to have held fierce competition with rivals from France, Germany and Russia.