BWXT's 22 MWe BANR microreactor picked for a transportable nuclear plant in New Brunswick, Canada
Serguey Asael Shinder1 min readBWX Technologies said its BANR microreactor has been selected by Prodigy Clean Energy, Pabineau First Nation and Eel River Bar First Nation for a proposed project in Belledune, New Brunswick, World Nuclear News reported on 6 October.
The reactor. BANR (BWXT Advanced Nuclear Reactor) is a 22 MWe / 75 MWt high-temperature gas-cooled reactor designed to use TRISO fuel.
The plant. Prodigy's Transportable Nuclear Power Plant (TNPP) would be Indigenous-led and use two BANR units. The plant is built in a factory, with a target of 18 months to installation, and arrives at the site fully assembled, ready for fuelling. Prodigy says these are not barges with reactors on board but purpose-designed, marine-fabricated buildings qualified to house operating reactors, customisable from 1 to 1,000 MWe gross. The project is meant to validate logistics and operations as a blueprint for a fleet across Canada's North and export markets.
The offtake and timing. The New Brunswick government has signed a letter of intent with Prodigy and the First Nations to buy the electricity. The target in-service date is "the early 2030s"; the plant could power 40,000 homes. Prodigy also plans an operations and maintenance hub in Belledune to service a northern fleet.
Context. BANR was one of five microreactors the US Army selected in August for its $2.2 billion Janus Program; BWXT targets groundbreaking at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in late 2028. BWXT and Prodigy say they are working towards a definitive cooperative agreement for commercial, industrial and defence projects.
A letter of intent and a selection are early steps: there is no licence application or construction date in the announcement.