The two companies have agreed to collaborate to identify commercial opportunities for their joint venture GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s BWRX-300 in Southeast Asia, as well as exploring opportunities to incorporate qualified Japanese suppliers and strengthen the small modular reactor (SMR) supply chain supporting future BWRX-300 deployment in the region.
The agreement was signed during the Indo-Pacific Energy Security Ministerial & Business Forum in Tokyo in the presence of US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ryosei Akazawa.
“As more nations look to nuclear power to meet their energy security needs, GE Vernova and Hitachi look forward to continuing our long history of collaboration in support of the global nuclear industry,” said GE Vernova Chief Corporate Officer Roger Martella. “Our SMR technology can be a powerful tool for countries across Southeast Asia for generations to come.”
“Hitachi has continued to bring long-standing experience in nuclear technology, through our partnership with GE Vernova, and we are excited to do even more by exploring the deployment of the BWRX-300 in Southeast Asia,” said Yasunori Inada, Vice President and Executive Officer, CEO of Nuclear Energy Business Unit, Hitachi. “We aim to contribute to a sustainable energy future in the region by leveraging the capabilities of Hitachi and GE Vernova.”
The BWRX-300 is a 300 MWe water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems that leverages the design and licensing basis of GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s US Nuclear Regulatory Commission-certified ESBWR boiling water reactor design and its existing, licensed GNF2 fuel design. GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s first BWRX-300 is under construction at Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington site in Canada, with completion expected by the end of the decade.
