BWXT Microreactor Selected for Canada's Belledune Nuclear Power Project

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 5, Canada's Prodigy Clean Energy, along with Pabineau First Nation and Eel River Bar First Nation, selected BWX Technologies' BANR microreactor technology for a transportable nuclear power plant project in Belledune, New Brunswick. The project plans to deploy two BANR microreactors to build a transportable nuclear power plant with a maximum capacity of 50 megawatts, with operation planned for the early 2030s.

The BANR is a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor with a single-unit design electrical output of 22 megawatts and thermal output of 75 megawatts, using high-assay low-enriched uranium and TRISO fuel. Prodigy's transportable nuclear power plant platform can integrate one or multiple BANR reactors. The nuclear island and supporting systems will be primarily manufactured at BWXT's facility in Ontario, then transported as a whole to the project site. Both BANR units, along with nuclear-grade and non-nuclear-grade supporting systems, are planned to be incorporated into the Canadian supply chain.

Under the current plan, the transportable nuclear power plant will undergo major manufacturing and assembly at the factory, arriving at the site as a essentially complete facility, followed by fuel loading and related commissioning. Prodigy and BWXT have set a target installation period of approximately 18 months. The project also plans to build a centralized operations and maintenance center in Belledune for remote monitoring, maintenance, and personnel training.

The project was previously announced on September 1, when Prodigy signed exclusive agreements with two Indigenous organizations to plan, build, and own the project within the traditional territories of the two First Nations. The New Brunswick provincial government has issued a letter of intent to purchase power from the project. The project is designed for a maximum capacity of 50 megawatts, corresponding to the electricity demand of up to approximately 40,000 households.

BWXT and Prodigy are currently advancing a formal cooperation agreement intended to cover project development, engineering, licensing, supply chain integration, financing, and deployment. The two parties also plan to use the BANR and Prodigy transportable nuclear power plant platform for subsequent commercial, industrial, and defense energy projects.