Commercial operation is expected by the early 2030s, the companies said.

The agreement is to build four AP300 SMRs in the North Teesside region of Northeast England. The region is experiencing industrial and economic development, which the companies say is driving increasing demand for carbon-free electricity. CNP is also working with strategic partners, including Jacobs and Interpath Advisory, to develop a fully licensed site for the project, with a target of 2027.

Westinghouse says the project is in accordance with the recently published UK Government Alternative Routes to Market for New Nuclear Projects consultation and complementary to the company’s participation in Great British Nuclear’s (GBN) SMR technology selection process.

“This project brings together Westinghouse’s proven technology and mature supply chain with our depth of expertise in nuclear program delivery, in a region that is transforming its industrial landscape,” said Paul Foster, Community Nuclear Power’s CEO. “We are delighted to be working with Westinghouse in support of private deployment in North Teesside.”

In May 2023, Westinghouse launched the AP300 small modular reactor, an SMR based on a large Generation III+ reactor already in operation globally, the AP1000 technology. Unlike every other SMR under development with first-of-a-kind technologies and risks, Westinghouse’s AP300 SMR utilizes the AP1000 engineering, components, and supply chain.

This agreement is an extension of Oklo and SODI’s announcement in May 2023, related to the deployment of two Aurora powerhouses, and the company says it signifies progress toward siting development and implementation. SODI is a nonprofit community improvement corporation and serves as the DOE-designated community reuse organization for the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS) facility near Piketon, Ohio.

Subject to the terms and conditions of the land rights agreement and in exchange for an upfront fee, which will be credited toward any purchase by Oklo under the land rights agreement, SODI has granted Oklo an option and right of first refusal to purchase land in Southern Ohio from SODI.

Oklo aims to build its second and third plants on land owned by SODI, it announced last May. The land will host two commercial 15-MWe Aurora powerhouses (30 MWe total) and over 50 MW of clean heating, with opportunities to expand.

Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse design is a fast neutron reactor that would transport heat from the reactor core to a power conversion system and is designed to run on material from used nuclear fuel known as HALEU, or “high assay, low-enriched uranium.” The reactor builds on the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II and space reactor legacy.

Oklo obtained a site use permit from the DOE for the Idaho site at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in 2019. The company applied with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in March 2020 to build and operate a reactor at INL. This was the first combined license application ever accepted by the NRC for an advanced non-light water reactor.

The company recently announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has reviewed and approved the Safety Design Strategy (SDS) for its Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility at INL. The Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility is being designed to demonstrate the reuse of recovered nuclear material to support Oklo’s planned commercial advanced fission power plant demonstration at INL.

Oklo was selected for access to the fuel material through a competitive process launched in 2019 by INL. The goal of the solicitation was to accelerate the deployment of commercially viable reactors by providing developers with access to the material needed to produce fuel for their reactors. The DOE is supporting INL to produce High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium for advanced reactors by recovering uranium through electrorefining treatment on used fuel from the now-decommissioned Experimental Breeder Reactor-II.

The SDS marks the initial stage in a comprehensive DOE approval process prior to the operation of the Aurora Fuel Fabrication Facility. Oklo and Battelle Energy Alliance, operator of INL, are currently working on the next phase, focusing on the Conceptual Safety Design Report (CSDR). The purpose of the CSDR is to summarize the hazard analysis efforts and safety-in-design decisions incorporated into the conceptual design, along with any identified project risks associated with the selected strategies.

The Pueblo Innovative Energy Solutions Advisory Committee (PIESAC) was assembled to study and make recommendations regarding future plans at Comanche Generating Station, located in Pueblo, Colorado. The 11-member committee released its recommendations in a new report.

The recommendations are expected to inform how Xcel Energy replaces Comanche 3 as part of its next resource plan, expected to be filed in June 2024. That proposal will include a summary of bids submitted by developers to supply generation by the end of 2031.

After reviewing the clean energy technologies that could be available by 2031, the committee concluded that the scope should be expanded to 2034, citing the lack of resources available by 2031 that could also provide a satisfactory amount of jobs. Comanche 3 is set to close in 2031.

PIESAC recommended top replacement options of “advanced nuclear” such as small modular reactors (SMRs), or a new combined cycle gas plant with carbon capture. But the committee clearly favored the SMR option, citing more jobs and tax benefits.

The committee said a combined cycle plant with carbon capture would generate 20 to 25 jobs, along with tax payments of approximately $16.5 million a year. But an advanced nuclear plant could potentially provide 200 to 300 jobs and tax payments of $95.29 million annually.

“Of all of the technologies that we studied, only advanced nuclear generation will make Pueblo whole and also provide a path to prosperity,” the committee said in the report.

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The report `also noted the potential economic impact of closing the coal plant. Over $15 million of the $25 million in taxes paid by Xcel Energy to Pueblo annually comes from Comanche 3. The committee estimated that closing Comanche 3 in 2031 instead of the originally planned date of 2070 will result in $845 million in lost taxes for Pueblo.

Xcel’s Clean Energy Plan, approved by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission in 2022, aims to reduce carbon emissions by nearly 85% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, and to provide Colorado customers with electricity from 80% renewable sources. To meet these goals, Xcel has planned the retirement of several coal plants, including Comanche Station Unit 3.

The report estimates that closing the Comanche 3 plant will result in a 36.8% reduction in Xcel’s emissions and a 20.5% reduction of statewide emissions from the electric sector as compared to 2005 levels.

An Xcel Energy spokesperson sent us a statement which reads in part: “We’ll continue studying advanced nuclear technology as it matures and determine if it can provide clean, reliable and affordable energy for customers in all eight of our states, but especially in Pueblo, Colorado.” 

Comanche Station sprawls roughly 695 acres and includes three coal generation units. 460 acres are currently being used and 220 are undeveloped, the report said, with 12 acres being used for a long-duration battery storage project.

Comanche 1 closed in 2022 and Comanche 2 is scheduled to close in 2025. The Comanche Station has existing assets that could be re-used for later generation, including a rail network, transmission capacity and injection, and a take or pay water contract with the Pueblo Board of Waterworks for 13,000 acre feet per year through 2060.

Oklo’s Aurora design is a fast neutron reactor that would transport heat from the reactor core to a power conversion system and is designed to run on material from used nuclear fuel known as HALEU, or “high assay, low-enriched uranium.” The reactor builds on the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II and space reactor legacy.

Oklo said through this partnership it would would gain access to a well-established supply chain for essential components, a key catalyst for scaling up and improving the reliability of its fission power plants. Siemens Energy would also provide consulting to support Oklo in the design work of the conventional island.

Oklo plans to commercialize its liquid metal fast reactor technology with the Aurora powerhouse, which is designed to produce up to 15 MW of electricity on both recycled nuclear fuel and fresh fuel. Oklo said its fission technology first was demonstrated by the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II, which sold and supplied power to the grid and showed waste recycling capabilities over 30 years of operation.

The company also has secured a site use permit from the U.S. Department of Energy and a fuel award from the Idaho National Laboratory for a commercial-scale advanced fission power plant in Idaho, which is targeted to go online in 2026 or 2027.

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Last year, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) rejected Oklo’s application to build and operate the company’s Aurora compact fast reactor in Idaho. Oklo submitted the application in March 2020 and sought an NRC license for the 1.5 MW reactor to be built at the Idaho National Laboratory. The license application was accepted in June of that year.

Although NRC said that Oklo submitted supplementary information on several topics in both July and October, it found the information remained insufficient.

Oklo’s application contained “significant information gaps” in its description of Aurora’s potential accidents as well as its classification of safety systems and components, the NRC said. Although the gaps prevented further review, NRC said it was prepared to re-engage with Oklo if the company submits a revised application.

Later in 2022, Oklo submitted another licensing project plan to the NRC, and said the plan outlines future licensing activities and aims to support an “efficient and effective review process.”

Earlier this year, Oklo announced it would build its second and third plants on land owned by the Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative (SODI). The land will host two commercial 15-MWe Aurora powerhouses (30 MWe total) and over 50 MW of clean heating, with opportunities to expand.

Also this year, the U.S. Air Force, through the Defense Logistics Agency, said it intends to award a contract to Oklo to install its nuclear microreactor for power and heat at the Eielson Air Force Base. The award comes from the Air Force’s microreactor pilot program. Oklo would obtain a license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), construct the plant and operate it under a long-term power purchase agreement.

In July, Oklo announced it would be acquired by AltC Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company, and would seek a listing on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “OKLO.”

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is issuing a construction permit for a new type of nuclear reactor that uses molten salt to cool the reactor core.

The NRC is issuing the permit to Kairos Power for the Hermes test reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, the agency said Tuesday. The reactor won’t generate generate electricity and it will be far smaller than traditional ones.

This is the first construction permit the NRC has issued for a reactor that uses something other than water to cool the reactor core. The United States Atomic Energy Commission, the predecessor to the NRC, did license other types of designs.

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Kairos Power is working on fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor technology. The California-based company received funding from the Department of Energy. The 35-MW thermal reactor will test the concept of using molten salt as a coolant and test the type of nuclear fuel, the NRC said.

Kairos Power aims to develop a larger version for commercial electricity that could be used in the early 2030s. It says the construction permit is a big step forward as it works to deploy clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy.

The global nuclear industry launched an initiative at this year’s U.N. climate talks for nations to pledge to triple nuclear energy by 2050. More than 20 have already signed on, including the United States and the host of COP28, the United Arab Emirates.

The NRC has certified one small modular nuclear reactor design for use anywhere in the United States, a light-water reactor by Oregon-based NuScale Power.

Kairos Power took a different approach and asked the NRC for permission to build its test reactor only at the Oak Ridge site. It still needs an operating license. It applied for a second construction permit for a larger version, a two-unit demonstration plant, also at Oak Ridge.

The NRC is expecting at least two more applications next year for construction permits from other companies working on small modular reactors or advanced designs.

Critics say it would be safer to use other low-carbon technologies to address climate change, such as solar and wind power.

Gov. Pritzker signed House Bill 2473 on Friday, enacting several changes related to nuclear power in the state. Besides allowing the development of small modular reactors, the bill:

• Requires the Illinois Emergency Management and Office of Homeland Security to adopt rules for the regulation of small modular reactors, including rules regarding decommissioning, emergency preparedness, and fees.
• Sets forth provisions concerning inspections of small modular reactors.
• Authorizes the governor to commission a study on regulatory gaps for the development of small modular reactors in the State.
• Requires the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security to lead the study by researching and developing small modular reactors.
• Provides that the Illinois Nuclear Safety Preparedness Act and the Illinois Nuclear Facility Safety Act do not apply to small modular reactors.
• Removes the definition of “high-level nuclear waste.”

Legislation to lift the moratorium passed with bipartisan support in May. But Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker vetoed the bill in August, saying the vague definitions in Senate Bill 76 would “open the door to proliferation of large-scale nuclear reactors that are so costly to build that they will cause exorbitant ratepayer-funded bailouts.”

Gov. Pritzker has expressed support for SMRs in the past. In his comments following the veto, he said SMRs have “real potential” but that the bill provided no regulatory protections for the health and safety of Illinois residents who would live and work around them.

In November, Sen. Sue Rezin, a Republican from Morris, Illinois who sponsored SB 76, proposed fresh legislation.

To answer the governor’s concerns, the latest plan instructed the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to develop guidelines on decommissioning reactors, environmental monitoring, and emergency preparedness by Jan. 1, 2026. It also reduced the allowable maximum size of each small modular reactor to 300 MW, down from 345.

The Illinois Senate approved the plan in November, followed by the House.

Environmentalists have criticized the plan, noting that small modular reactors are a decade or more from viability. Sponsoring Sen. Sue Rezin, a Republican from Morris, said that’s the reason, coupled with a federal permitting process of as much as eight years, her legislation is timely.

“If we want to take advantage of the amazing advancements in new nuclear technology that have occurred over the past couple of decades and not fall behind the rest of the states, we need to act now,” Rezin said in November.

According to the Nuclear Energy Institute, 19 states considered legislation and 12 states enacted policies to support existing and new nuclear generation in 2022. West Virginia and Connecticut repealed their nuclear moratoriums last year.

But Illinois is notable because it generates more electricity from nuclear energy than any other state, accounting for one-eighth of the nation’s total nuclear power generation. In 2022, the state’s 6 nuclear power plants, with 11 total reactors, produced 52% of the state’s electricity net generation, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Illinois aims to produce strictly carbon-free power by 2045.

This article contains reporting from the Associated Press.

Holtec purchased the shuttered Palisades plant in 2022 and wants to restart it. Twin SMR-300 reactors would each add 300 MW of power at the site in Covert Township, Michigan. The existing Palisades plant went into operation in 1971 and generated 800 MW before it was retired.

Holtec’s SMR is a pressurized water reactor producing around 300 MW of electrical power or 1050 MW of thermal power for process applications. Holtec said it has undergone several design evolutions since 2011, including the incorporation of forced flow capability overlayed on gravity-driven flow in the plant’s primary system.

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Holtec said the existing large-reactor plant is refurbished with an array of enhancements, and the company is targeting a return-to-service date for the end of 2025.

The plant’s restart has received bipartisan support, including from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The state also included $150 million to restart the plant in its latest budget.

Holtec has asked the NRC to reinstate its operating license for the plant and to re-hire staff.

But the effort needs federal funding, expected to be the primary investment in the plan’s restart. Holtec hopes to tap a $6 billion fund at the Department of Energy earmarked to preserve the U.S. nuclear reactor fleet and associated jobs.

Federal energy officials are still reviewing the company’s $1 billion grant application. Holtec officials have been quoted as saying it would take hundreds of millions of dollars for facility renovations and to buy nuclear fuel.

In September, Holtec and Wolverine Power Cooperative announced the signing of a long-term power purchase agreement involving the plant. Wolverine would purchase up to two-thirds of the power generated by Palisades for its Michigan-based member rural electric cooperatives. Indiana-based Hoosier Energy, another G&T Cooperative, would purchase the rest.

The filing of the Construction Permit Application for the two SMRs is targeted for 2026, shortly after the existing Palisades plant would return to service.

Under the MOU, the companies will seek to explore potential commercial opportunities for Westinghouse’s AP1000, AP300, and eVinci reactor technologies; investigate licensing and regulatory pathways for new nuclear projects in Canada; and examine other potential areas for collaboration in the new-build market.

The MOU signing took place in Paris at the World Nuclear Exhibition where companies and representatives from around the world were gathered to explore the latest innovations and opportunities to collaborate and shape the future of clean nuclear energy.

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To effectively decarbonize the broader economy, Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator says demand for clean, reliable baseload electricity will rise sharply in coming years and has called for almost 18,000 MW of new nuclear capacity by 2050.

OPG’s current work includes building North America’s first fleet of small modular reactors at its Darlington New Nuclear site. The company has just partnered with companies from Canada, the U.S., and France to ensure a fuel supply for the first unit of its four-unit project.

OPG already plans to develop the “first grid-scale SMR” in North America at the Darlington site, GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300 reactor. OPG is partnering with GEH, SNC-Lavalin, and Aecon on the project, and the first SMR is expected to be completed by the end of 2028, and online by the end of 2029

Subject to Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) regulatory approvals, the additional SMRs could come online between 2034 and 2036. The provincial government said OPG could take learnings from the construction of the first unit to deliver cost savings on the subsequent units. The four units once deployed would produce a total 1,200 MW of electricity.

Westinghouse recently got its first customer for the eVinci microreactor when the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) received $80 million to pursue the demonstration of a microreactor. SRC will apply the research and knowledge gained from the licensing and deployment of an initial microreactor to support the Saskatchewan nuclear industry to better understand this type of technology and the potential for future microreactor projects in the province. It is expected to be operational by 2029.

The company also just announced the full acquisition of its long-standing partner Tecnatom from Endesa after obtaining all regulatory approvals. The full acquisition of the Spanish company is meant to boost Westinghouse’s offerings in nuclear refueling, maintenance, inspection services, engineering, training, and digital services and products.

Westinghouse first acquired 50% of Tecnatom in 2021 and operated the company jointly with Endesa. Since then, Westinghouse and Tecnatom partnered in support of projects and commercial opportunities, particularly in inspection services, training and digital solutions. By acquiring the remaining 50%, Westinghouse can fully integrate Tecnatom’s resources, capabilities and products into Westinghouse.

On October 18, 2023, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued draft regulatory guide (DG), DG – 4034, for public comment. DG – 4034 includes a proposed Revision 4 for Regulatory Guide (RG) 4.7, “General Site Suitability Criteria for Nuclear Power Stations.” RG 4.7 provides guidance on the major health, safety and environmental site characteristics the NRC staff considers in determining the suitability of proposed sites for nuclear power plants. Essentially, it lays out the methods for determining whether a reactor may be located at a particular potential location.

If finalized, RG 4.7 Revision 4 would add alternative population-related criteria for consideration in determining site suitability. This would provide reactor operators with alternative means to demonstrate compliance with population-density rules, allowing them to be sited based on safety features and accident scenarios rather than on strict adherence to fixed population density requirements.

Background

Existing NRC guidance compels nuclear reactor owners to incorporate specific population considerations into reactor siting proposals, which sometimes prove difficult to execute on the ground. For example, RG 4.7 currently requires that reactors be located at a site where the population density “… averaged over any radial distance out to 20 miles … is at most 500 persons per square mile (‘ppsm’).” This guidance reflects the NRC’s longstanding policy of recommending that nuclear reactors be sited in areas with low population densities located at considerable distances away from population centers. And the underlying policy stems from the NRC’s extensive large light-water reactor (LWR) siting experience, which takes into account the potential for releases of water coolant, zirconium alloy fuel cladding and radionuclide inventories in the event of an accident.

Advantages of this siting policy include that it: (1) facilitates emergency preparedness; (2) reduces the potential doses to large numbers of people in the event of a severe accident; and (3) reduces property damage in the event of a severe accident. However, by directing reactor siting based primarily on the “500 ppsm over 20 miles” benchmark, the policy runs the risk of bias against site consideration areas which “may have superior seismic characteristics, better rail or highway access, or shorter transmission line requirements, or less environmental impact on undeveloped areas, wetlands, or endangered species” (DG-4043 p. 19). Moreover, the benchmark creates a hurdle to siting reactors at retiring fossil fuel plants as many of the latter are located closer to population centers than the 500 ppsm/20-mile benchmark would allow.

In addition, this approach may not be appropriate for advanced reactor designs characterized by smaller sizes, novel safety features and enhanced fuel designs. Considered together, these aspects substantially reduce both the accident likelihood and the pace at which radionuclides would be released from such reactors.

On May 8, 2020, the NRC issued to the Commission policy memo SECY-20-0045, which evaluated the NRC’s population density and distance-based policy for siting advanced reactors. The SECY recommended the adoption of alternative siting criteria that directly relate to potential radiological consequences of accidents for specific types of advanced reactors, based on those reactors’ features. Under this approach, advanced safety features and accident scenarios could be considered when determining the appropriate distance from population zones and nearby population densities for sites at which such reactors may be located. On July 13, 2022, the Commission agreed and voted for the staff to proceed with implementing their proposed recommendation.

Notable Changes Introduced by RG 4.7 Revision 4

If finalized, Revision 4 to RG 4.7 would introduce new, technology-inclusive, risk-informed and performance-based criteria for complying with the commercial nuclear power siting suitability guidelines outlined in 10 CFR 100.21(h). Existing guidelines require applicants to site reactors in areas where the population density is within 500 persons per square mile. The guidelines cover areas located up to 20 miles from potential reactor sites. Revision 4 would update those same population density limitations to apply to areas located up to twice the distance at which a hypothetical individual could receive a total effective dose equivalent (TEDE) of 1 rem during the one-month period following the release of radionuclides during postulated accidents. Thus, assuming the nearest 500 ppsm area was located just one mile from a reactor, should it be possible for an individual in that area to be exposed to 1 rem TEDE following an accident, the guidelines would require the reactor to be sited at least two miles from that area. As such, Revision 4 effectively allows for the safety zone around a nuclear power site to be determined by potential radiation exposure instead of by a fixed distance.

Integral to this revised approach are changes to Appendix A of RG 4.7. The amended Appendix A would still require adherence to 10 CFR 100 which compels licensees to establish (1) an exclusion zone, (2) a low population zone (LPZ), and (3) a minimum distance of separation from the nearest densely populated area of 25,000 or more residents. However, the updated Appendix would also allow non-LWRs and light-water small modular reactors (SMR) equipped with novel safety features to be licensed in areas closer to population centers.

Specifically, the new guidelines would allow advanced reactor owners to show compliance with 100.21(h) based on the potential for a radiological source term (which depends, inter alia, on the type of fuel employed and coolant activity and concentration) and containment-type barriers for limiting the release of radionuclides that are integral to underlying reactor designs. Therefore, the LPZ and the minimum distance to densely populated areas could, under this method, be determined based on reactor design rather than specific, set distances. This is expected to create a more performance-based approach to the policy of siting reactors away from population centers in order to prevent or minimize societal risks. Moreover, as discussed below, these proposed changes could open the door to commercial nuclear power station siting in areas that have traditionally been off limits to conventional large LWRs.

In the past, the NRC had recommended that advanced reactor siting be addressed via updates to 100.21(h) include safety, fuel and other innovations. Implementing such recommendations has proven challenging or impossible given the diversity among emerging reactor designs and the slow pace at which the rulemaking process typically unfolds. By adopting the newly proposed Appendix A, the NRC will create a much more flexible framework for advanced reactor siting that will enable the NRC to adapt to reactor innovations without necessarily being subject to the challenges inherent in the rulemaking process.

Applicability to LWRs

The Revision 4 text does not provide any explicit guidance or prohibitions on whether large LWRs may avail themselves of the Appendix A siting methodology. However, statements by NRC staff in a recent public meeting indicate that large LWRs may be able to utilize containment and other technologies to limit the anticipated release of fission products in a postulated accident. This could allow such reactors to be sited under the Appendix A process, be located closer to population centers and facilitate the siting of new large LWRs. One main potential technology, acknowledged by staff during the meeting, is filtered containment venting systems (FCVS). In the event of an accident, an FCVS vents contaminated gas from reactor containment through dry or wet filters that remove the majority of radioactive particles prior to releasing the gas back into the environment. Designed to mitigate the consequences of core meltdowns, loss of coolant and other negative impacts of severe nuclear accidents, FCVSs may provide operators a means to site large LWRs under the Appendix A criteria. Although the United States does not require the use of FCVSs, many other countries have adopted them, and they are a well-established technology. The language of Revision 4 thus provides FCVS and other containment technology adopters with a means to satisfy existing reactor siting rules while potentially expanding the scope and diversity of the consumer populations they serve.

Conclusion

Nuclear site selection is a complex and challenging pursuit, and construction of nuclear reactors (particularly to replace other generation assets) has been limited by the NRC’s strict siting criteria. The NRC’s new proposed draft guidance may provide a means to address these challenges and allow for new technologies to expand the list of areas where reactors may be located. Beyond regulatory considerations, potential operators must consider the type of technology employed (e.g., LWR, non-LWR), plant security, availability of cooling water and materials transportation, access to the electricity grid, and environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Moving forward, technologies that enable plant operators to address these concerns (whether with overall advanced reactor designs or safety features like FCVS that can be added to existing LWR designs) while adhering to controlling NRC guidance stand to impact the deployment and geographic locations of both large LWRs and advanced reactors.

Originally published at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP. Republished with permission.

The four contracts will involve:

• Canadian company, Cameco, which has uranium mines in Saskatchewan and a Uranium Hexafluoride (UF6) conversion facility in Port Hope, will supply natural UF6.
• US-based, Urenco USA (UUSA) will provide uranium enrichment services from their operations in Eunice, New Mexico.
• France’s Orano will provide additional Enriched Uranium Product (EUP) from their operations in France.
• And US-based, Global Nuclear Fuel-Americas LLC, a GE-led joint venture, will provide fuel fabrication and related technical services and fuel assemblies.

“Ontario is moving quickly as we deploy the first grid-scale small modular reactor in Canada and the G7 to meet our province’s growing energy demands,” said Ontario Minister of Energy Todd Smith. “With construction on the first unit scheduled to be completed in 2028 I’m pleased to see OPG reach this important agreement with Cameco, Urenco, Orano and Global Nuclear Fuel to use Saskatchewan uranium, enriched by our allies in the U.S. and France, to power the unit when it turns on.”

Earlier this year, Canada and the United States issued a statement announcing their enhanced collaboration on nuclear energy and technology, which includes determining a long-term fuel strategy.

OPG is building North America’s first fleet of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) at its Darlington New Nuclear site. OPG and the provincial government are planning to build three additional SMRs, for a total of four SMRs at the Darlington nuclear site.

OPG already plans to develop the “first grid-scale SMR” in North America at the Darlington site, GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300 reactor. OPG is partnering with GEH, SNC-Lavalin, and Aecon on the project, and the first SMR is expected to be completed by the end of 2028, and online by the end of 2029

Subject to Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) regulatory approvals, the additional SMRs could come online between 2034 and 2036. The provincial government said OPG could take learnings from the construction of the first unit to deliver cost savings on the subsequent units. The four units once deployed would produce a total 1,200 MW of electricity.

OPG and its commercial subsidiary, Laurentis Energy Partners, recently announced a five-year master services agreement with SaskPower to help streamline SMR development in Saskatchewan. Under the agreement, LEP would focus on program management, licensing and operational readiness activities.