Govind TekaleGE HItachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) has partnered with Ontario Power Energy (OPG), Synthos Green Energy (SGE), & the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to advance the deployment of its BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) across the globe. There will be a collaboration between TVA, OPG, & SGE in investment for the development of a standard design for BWRX-300, as well as key components such as reactor pressure vessel & internals. A total of $400 million is committed by GEH for standard design of the project.
It’s agreed by the partners to fund a portion of the overall cost so the CA Design Centre Working Group will be created to ensure the design could be deployed in multiple jurisdictions. The plan is to deploy the SMRs across the US, Canada, Poland, & beyond. Jay Wileman, President & CEO of GEH applauds the leadership shown by OPG, TVA & SGE in working together to advance the common design of the BWRX-300.
The partners have demonstrated confidence in the role that SMR technology will play in helping nations meet the decarbonization & energy security goals. The cost competitiveness of the BWRX will be further strengthened by this collaboration. An amount of $400 million is being invested by a three-country nuclear coalition to win federal sign off & begin making components for at least 10 SMRs.
Another concrete milestone has been reached by this investment towards building a new nuclear energy supply chain in North America. A pressure vessel from BWRX has been ordered by Poland’s Synthos Green Energy for the SMR from the GEH. It takes more time to build a pressure vessel, as it is a key component of the reactor, & it will likely be manufactured in Canada.
It should be enough for the $400 million investment to achieve sign-off from nuclear regulators while putting the pressure vessel into production. A beginning has been made for site preparation works for BWRX-300 at OPG’s Darlington New Nuclear Project site in Clarington, Ontario.
It’s expected that construction will be complete by the end of 2028, making it the first grid-scale SMR in North America. It’s the responsibility of TVA to prepare the construction permit application for a BWRX-300 at the Clinch River Site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
