OPG joins international group to advance nuclear

A rendering of the BWRX-300 small modular reactor. (CNW Group/Ontario Power Generation Inc.)

WASHINGTON — GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), Ontario Power Generation (OPG), Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and Synthos Green Energy (SGE) join to advance the global deployment of the GEH BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR).

Through a technical collaboration agreement, OPG, TVA and SGE will invest in the development of the BWRX-300 standard design and detailed design for components, including reactor pressure vessel and internals. GEH anticipates a total investment of around $400 million associated with the development.

Each contributor has agreed to fund a portion of GEH’s 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.

“I applaud the leadership shown by OPG, TVA and SGE in working together to advance the common design of the BWRX-300,” said GEH President and CEO Jay Wileman. “This unprecedented collaboration, which spans three countries, will offer benefits to each of the team members and demonstrates confidence in the role that our SMR technology will play in helping nations meet decarbonization and energy security goals. Building on our design-to-cost approach, this collaboration will further strengthen the cost competitiveness of the BWRX-300.”

Ontario Energy Minister Todd Smith represented the Province at the signing of the agreement. Ontario will be home to the first North American grid-scale SMR. Site preparation is now underway for a BWRX-300 at OPG’s Darlington New Nuclear Project site in Clarington, Ontario, with construction to be completed in late 2028.