Nuclear

TVA, OPG among investors in GE Hitachi SMR development

GE-Hitachi’s BWRX-300 is a 300 MWe water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems that leverages the design and licensing basis of GEH’s ESBWR boiling water reactor.

TVA, OPG among investors in GE Hitachi SMR development
(Source: GE Hitachi.)

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Synthos Green Energy (SGE) will invest in the development of GE-Hitachi’s BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR), according to an announcement March 23.

Total investment is estimated to be around $400 million and includes the development of the BWRX-300 standard design and detailed design for key components, including reactor pressure vessel and internals.

Each contributor has agreed to fund a portion of GE-Hitachi’s (GEH) overall cost and collectively will form a Design Center Working Group with the purpose of ensuring the standard design is deployable in multiple jurisdictions.

The long-term goal is for the BWRX-300 design to be licensed and deployed in Canada, the U.S., Poland and beyond. 

Site preparation is underway for a BWRX-300 at OPG’s Darlington New Nuclear Project site in Clarington, Ontario. This would be the first grid-scale SMR in North America. Construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2028.

TVA is preparing a construction permit application for a BWRX-300 at the Clinch River Site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee and exploring additional sites in the TVA service area for potential SMR deployments.

ORLEN Synthos Green Energy (OSGE), a joint venture between SGE and PKN Orlen, and its partners have started the pre-licensing process in Poland by applying to the National Atomic Energy Agency for assessment of the BWRX-300. OSGE has begun the site selection process for its first BWRX-300, which it intends to deploy by the end of this decade with the future potential for a fleet of BWRX-300s.

In June 2022, SaskPower announced that it selected the BWRX-300 for potential deployment in Saskatchewan in the mid-2030s.

The BWRX-300 is a 300 MWe water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems that leverages the design and licensing basis of GEH’s ESBWR boiling water reactor. It is currently undergoing a CNSC pre-licensing Vendor Design Review.

The BWRX-300 leverages a unique combination of existing fuel that is currently used in operating reactors (and does not require HALEU), plant simplifications, proven components and a design based on already licensed reactor technology.