PERTH (miningweekly.com) – TSX-listed uranium miner Cameco, along with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), GEH SMR Technologies Canada (GEH SMR Canada) and Synthos Green Energy (SGE) will jointly evaluate the potential of establishing a uranium fuel supply chain in Canada capable of servicing a potential fleet of BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) in Poland.
“We believe nuclear energy will play a major role in helping countries and companies around the world achieve their net-zero emission targets,” said Cameco president and CEO Tim Gitzel.
“This memorandum of understanding (MoU) is a great example of the kind of innovative solutions businesses like Synthos Green Energy are exploring and how SMRs could contribute to industry-driven efforts to decarbonise.”
The BWRX-300 is a 300 MW water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems that leverages the design and licensing basis of GEH’s US Nuclear Regulatory Commission-certified ESBWR. Through dramatic design simplification, GEH projects the BWRX-300 would require significantly less capital cost per MW when compared to other SMR designs.
By leveraging the existing economic simplified boiling water reactor (ESBWR) design certification, using the licensed and proven Global Nuclear Fuels 2 fuel design, and incorporating proven components and supply chain expertise, GEH believes the BWRX-300 can become the lowest-risk, most cost-competitive and quickest to market SMR.
“GEH is honored to be working with Cameco and Synthos Green Energy to deploy the BWRX-300,” said GEH president and CEO Jay Wileman.
“Through our collaboration we look forward to the opportunity to bring carbon-free energy generation to Poland and support the creation of valuable uranium supply jobs in Canada.”
SGE and GEH in 2019 agreed to collaborate on potential deployment applications for the BWRX-300 in Poland, and in 2020 signed a strategic agreement that further advanced the cooperation.
In July 2021, Cameco, GEH and Global Nuclear Fuel-Americas agreed to explore several areas of cooperation to advance the commercialization and deployment of BWRX-300 SMRs in Canada and around the world.