Companies aim to roll out units outside North America, including in Sweden
GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) and South Korea-based construction and engineering company Samsung C&T have announced an alliance to advance the deployment of the BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) in global markets outside North America.
The two companies said they will focus their efforts on developing the supply chain and project delivery solutions for GVH’s SMR.
They will also work together on the potential deployment of five BWRX-300s in Sweden.
“With the first unit of our BWRX-300 under construction in Canada, we are well positioned to lead the deployment and scale of the SMR industry,” said Maví Zingoni, chief executive officer of the power division at GE Vernova.
Zingoni said the collaboration with Samsung C&T, which has a solid track-record of helping to deliver nuclear projects, will further strengthen the BWRX-300 position among “the most advanced, deployment ready, and lowest risk SMR technology available today”.
Se-chul Oh, chief executive officer of Samsung C&T, said the agreement marks a collaboration where Samsung C&T and GVH aim to become global leaders in the nuclear power segment.
The first BWRX-300 SMR is under construction at utility Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington nuclear site in Canada, with completion expected by the end of the decade. That would make it the first SMR in the Western World.
Key components like the reactor pressure vessel are being manufactured, and site construction is progressing according to plan, GVH said.
Additionally, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted and is reviewing Tennessee Valley Authority’s application to construct the first BWRX-300 in the US, at the federal utility’s Clinch River site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Poland-based nuclear project company Orlen Synthos Green Energy has selected Wloclawek as the site for Poland’s first SMR. In Sweden, state utility Vattenfall is considering the BWRX-300 as it evaluates the construction of new reactors adjacent to its Ringhals nuclear plant site.
So far, only China and Russia operate SMRs, which are defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency as nuclear plants with a power capacity of 300 MW or less that are designed with modular construction, allowing for factory fabrication and streamlined installation.
According to GVH, each BWRX-300 can provide approximately 300 MW of electricity, enough to produce the equivalent electricity needed to power 300,000 homes while significantly reducing the complexity and cost associated with traditional nuclear reactors.
Samsung C&T’s landmark projects include Burj Khalifa in Dubai – the world’s tallest building. In the nuclear energy sector, the company has delivered 12 GW across 10 units, including the Barakah nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates.
