Company Briefs

South Korea's SK said yesterday that it and an affiliate have invested US$250 million (S$344 million) in TerraPower, a US venture founded by billionaire Bill Gates that develops small nuclear power reactors, called small modular reactors.

SK, the holding company of South Korea's second-largest conglomerate SK Group, said it made the investment with affiliate SK Innovation as part of a total US$750 million fundraising round co-led by Mr Gates. The investment in small modular reactors goes towards SK Group's pledge last year to reduce 200 million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2030.

REUTERS

Malaysia Airlines has signed a provisional agreement to acquire 20 Airbus A330neos to replace its ageing fleet of A330 widebody jets, in a deal that also involves aircraft leasing company Avolon.

The airline will buy 10 of the planes from Airbus and then execute a sale-and-leaseback deal with Avolon, with the other 10 leased directly from Avolon, the carrier said yesterday.

The planes, which will have Rolls-Royce engines, are scheduled to be delivered starting in the third quarter of 2024 to 2028, the airline said.

REUTERS

Jafco Group Co said yesterday it may introduce a "poison pill" takeover defence after a group of shareholders backed by a prominent activist investor "hinted" they could buy a majority stake in the major Japanese venture capital firm.

An investor group led by Mr Yoshiaki Murakami told Jafco in meetings early this month that they had amassed nearly 15 per cent of its shares and suggested that there is a possibility of increasing their stake to 51 per cent, the firm said in a regulatory filing.

REUTERS