ENEC, GE Vernova, Hitachi sign SMR deployment MoU at World Utilities Congress

The Emirates Nuclear Energy Company (ENEC) and GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) have signed an MoU on the sidelines of the World Utilities Congress in Abu Dhabi, UAE, to jointly evaluate the deployment of the BWRX-300 Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology internationally. The MoU enables ENEC and GE Vernova Hitachi to further cooperate following the signing of the MoU in 2023 on the sidelines of COP 28 to evaluate the technology as part of ENEC’s ADVANCE program for advanced nuclear technology. Nuclear energy is a crucial solution to meeting the current unprecedented demand for reliable, dispatchable, more sustainable power coming from a broad range of customers, including hyperscalers seeking to power data centers to support growth in the AI and technology sectors.

The MoU was signed during a private ceremony at the World Utilities Congress in Abu Dhabi, UAE. HE Mohamed Al Hammadi, Managing Director and CEO of ENEC and Maví Zingoni, CEO of GE Vernova’s Power segment, exchanged signed MOUs as part of their commitment to explore opportunities for international deployment by collaborating on a development roadmap to include site identification, licensing pathways, investment and commercialization strategies and supply chain development.




GE Vernova’s Nuclear Power business, through its global alliance with Hitachi, is a world-leading provider of nuclear fuel bundles, services, and advanced nuclear reactor designs. Technologies include boiling water reactors and small modular reactors, such as the BWRX-300, which is one of the simplest, yet most innovative boiling water reactor designs. On May 8, the Province of Ontario and Ontario Power Generation (OPG) approved the deployment of the first BWRX-300 at the Darlington nuclear site in Ontario, Canada. Additionally, on May 20 Tennessee Valley Authority submitted application for construction of first BWRX-300 small modular reactor in the US. These milestones will make the BWRX-300 the first SMR to be built in the Western world and mark a significant step forward in advancing nuclear innovation, reinforcing GVH’s leadership position in scaling SMRs commercially. The technology and engineering are developed at the nuclear headquarters in Wilmington, NC.

Teams from ENEC and GE Vernova Hitachi will now work together to evaluate and develop a comprehensive roadmap for deployment of the BWRX-300. This forms part of ENEC’s ADVANCE Program, which was created to accelerate the evaluation and potential deployment of next generation nuclear technologies.

Beyond the Barakah plant, ENEC is focused on identifying investment, collaboration and deployment opportunities both in the UAE and overseas to support the rapid delivery of civil nuclear energy to drive energy security and sustainability through the provision of clean baseload electricity.

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