Company to invest USD50 million in facility to support fleet of BWRX-300 nuclear plants
GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) is to establish a cutting-edge engineering and service centre for BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) near Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) Darlington new nuclear project site.
The company said on 23 June it intends to invest up to USD50m (€43m) in the facility, pending further development and construction of three additional units at the Darlington site.
The announcement follows the Ontario government’s approval last month to proceed with construction of the first of four BWRX-300 SMR nuclear plants at the Darlington site, making Ontario the first jurisdiction in the G7 to approve construction of a grid-scale SMR.
Construction of the first unit is scheduled to be completed by the end of the decade.
Plans call for the engineering and service centre to be operational by the end of 2027 to support the deployment and servicing of the BWRX-300 fleet.
The planned facility will be used to provide engineering and technical services to support the fleet’s long-term operation and maintenance.
It will also serve as a hub for innovation and training, knowledge-sharing, supply chain engagement and workforce development.
“The Canadian BWRX-300 engineering and service centre will bolster Ontario’s position as a nuclear leader and further cultivate Canada’s nuclear energy workforce with an industry-leading training ecosystem,” said Heather Chalmers, president and chief executive officer of GE Vernova Canada.
GVH said the planned engineering and service centre will include a virtual reality simulator and provide training capabilities to support SMR refuelling and maintenance evolutions. The facility will develop advanced maintenance and inspection technologies tailored to the simpler SMR units and serve as an outage planning and execution preparation centre for BWRX-300 reactors.
