Darlington Archives - Nucleation Capital

Nucleation's portfolio company, Blue Energy, has signed an agreement with GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) that launches the next phase of their 2.5-gigawatt gas-plus-nuclear power plant in Victoria, Texas. The agreement advances engineering design, licensing and safety analysis for the project, ahead of a final investment decision expected in 2027.

The plant pairs two GE Vernova 7HA.02 gas turbines — roughly 1 gigawatt, powering a nearby data center from 2030 — with up to five GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactors adding another 1.5 gigawatts beginning in 2032.

Blue Energy's integrated approach to prefabrication, transportation and assembly, which the company calls the “Blue Way,” builds on the standardized, modular design of the BWRX-300, using off-site fabrication, innovative logistics and super-module assembly to improve schedule, cost and delivery predictability. CEO and co-founder Jake Jurewicz framed the goal as making nuclear “a financeable, repeatable product.”

The first BWRX-300 is currently under construction at Ontario Power Generation's Darlington site in Canada, with completion expected by the end of the decade, which will make it the first grid-scale SMR in the Western world.

Click the above image to see Jake Jurewicz, CEO and co-founder of Blue Energy (on right), and Jason Cooper, CEO of GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy discuss their newly signed agreement to launch the Victoria, Texas project. (Available through Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0XMBovy6O4)

Learn more with the joint Blue Energy and GE Vernova Press Release: Blue Energy, GE Vernova Hitachi Sign Agreement to Launch Next Phase of Texas Gas-Plus-Nuclear Project, Blue Energy, GE Vernova Hitachi Sign Agreement to Launch Next Phase of Texas Gas-Plus-Nuclear Project

Published by Nucleation Capital in Advanced Nuclear, Advanced Nuclear Customers, Company Milestone, Data centers & Digital Infra, Energy abundance, Energy transition, Fission, Future of Energy, NEWS, Nuclear competitiveness, Nuclear innovation, Portfolio Venture, Private companies, US competitiveness, US technological leadership

Ontario Power Generation and partners signed a commercial contract to build a GE Hitachi-designed BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR). Several other groups are also looking at the BWRX-300, which at 300 MWs, is about 1/3rd the size of a traditional 1GW reactor. This further expands the menu options for those looking at nuclear.

Ontario Power Generation, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, SNC-Lavalin, and Aecon Group signed a contract to deploy a BWRX-300 small modular reactor at OPG’s Darlington New Nuclear Project site in Clarington, Ontario. According to their announcement, this may represent the first grid-scale SMR to be built in North America, which represents an important expansion in the menu of options available to those seeking low-carbon power generation.

There are many other interested potential buyers not far behind OPG. The Tennessee Valley Authority began planning and preliminary licensing for possible deployment of a BWRX-300 at the Clinch River Site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. TVA is collaborating with OPG to advance SMR technology and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission are working together to license the two projects, according to GEH.

The OPG agreement, however, is a firm contract with a utility, an architecture engineer and a construction company to actually build the plant, rather than an LOI or MOU, and in this respect it is a milestone for the industry. In addition, Saskatchewan Power Corp. said in June it selected the BWRX-300 for possible deployment in Saskatchewan in the mid-2030s.

In addition to the GEH BWRX-300, the NuScale Voygr plant was recently added to the menu of available advanced plant options. NuScale has already received federal approval for its 50MW, maximum 12-pack reactor design and it's working to get approval for an uprated model with base units of 77MW. Together these two new designs represent a 200% increase in the number of available nuclear designs and sizes available to prospective buyers, in addition to the AP1000, with 1117 MWe, the first two of which are nearing completion at the Vogtle plant in Georgia.

Learn more at UtilityDive, GE Hitachi and 3 partners announce first commercial contract for grid-scale SMR in North America, by Stephen Singer, Jan. 30, 2023.

Published by Nucleation Capital in Advanced Nuclear, Capital reallocation, Carbon emissions, Climate policy, Future of Energy, History Timeline, History-making, LINKS, Nuclear competitiveness, Nuclear financing, Nuclear-inclusive energy policy, Politicians supporting nuclear, Solving climate, Zero emission energy

Blue Energy and GE Vernova Hitachi advance gas-plus-nuclear project in Texas

Menu of Nuclear Options Begins to Grow