GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy

Last updated
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy
Company type Joint venture
Industry Nuclear power
FoundedJune 2007;17 years ago (2007-06)
Headquarters Wilmington, North Carolina, US
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Craig Ranson (president & CEO)
Owner
Number of employees
3,000
Website gevernova.com/nuclear

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) is a provider of advanced reactors and nuclear services. It is headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States. Established in June 2007, GEH is a nuclear alliance created by General Electric and Hitachi. In Japan, the alliance is Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy. [1] In November 2015, Jay Wileman was appointed CEO. [2]

Contents

History

In 1955, the Atomic Power Equipment Department was established by GE. Two years later, in 1957, GE's first privately financed nuclear power reactor provided electricity for commercial use in Vallecitos, California. Additionally, in 1960, GE made and contributed to the Dresden Nuclear Power Station in Chicago. In the 1960s, it got involved in constructing and building the Boiling water reactor (BWR). The research into the project continued in the next 50 years resulting in production of 6 different BWR generations. [3] In 1997, the GE-Hitachi U.S. Advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR) design was certified as a final design in final form by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. [4]

GE and Hitachi officially established the GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) global alliance in 2007 by combining parts of their respective power businesses. Based in Wilmington, North Carolina is creating and supplying BWRs and giving assistance with boiling water and pressurized water reactors. In Canada, the organization was known as GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Canada and its purpose is to provide fuel and service nuclear power plants that operate on heavy water reactors made by Atomic Energy Canada. [3] In 2016, GE and Hitachi sold GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Canada to BWXT Canada Ltd. and renamed BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada [5] [6] [7] [8]

In 2005, GE Hitachi filed design certification by NRC for their Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR). The ESBWR received a positive Safety Evaluation Report [9] and Final Design Approval [10] on March 9, 2011. On June 7, 2011, the NRC completed its public comment period. [11] Final rule was issued on September 16, 2014, after two outstanding problems with GE-Hitachi's modeling of loads on the steam dryer were solved. [12] [13] In 2013, following its purchase of Horizon Nuclear Power, Hitachi began the process of generic design assessment of the Hitachi-GE ABWR with the UK Office for Nuclear Regulation. [14] The process was completed in December 2017. [15] In January 2020, the company started the regulatory licensing process for the BWRX-300 with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. [16]

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is undertaking preliminary licensing in collaboration with OPG. SaskPower is considering a deployment, and ORLEN Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) and partners is in pre-licensing in Poland. GEH has memoranda of understanding with companies in Canada, Poland, UK, US, and Sweden, among others, and has begun the licensing process in the UK. [17]

In 2023, the company signed a contract with Ontario Power Generation (OPG), SNC-Lavalin, and Aecon to deploy a BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) at OPG's Darlington New Nuclear Project site, the first contract for a North American grid-scale SMR. [17]

Reactors

The Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) is the world's first operational Generation III Class advanced light water reactor design. The NRC has registered GEH's petition for renewal of ABWR certification. [18] The Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR), the Generation III+ Class design reactor, received a positive final safety evaluation report and final design approval in March 2011, and is expected to receive a license from the NRC by September 2011.[ needs update ] [19] [20]

GEH's Power Reactor Innovative Small Modular (PRISM) is a Generation IV reactor that uses liquid sodium as a coolant. In 2020 GEH partnered with TerraPower to develop a Natrium reactor. [21]

In 2018, GEH agreed to collaborate with Holtec International on the commercialization of the Holtec SMR-160, a 160 MWe pressurized water reactor (PWR) small modular reactor. [22]

Nuclear services

As nuclear plants get older and worldwide demand for energy increases, GEH offers services for adapting plant performance and power output as well as maintenance for extending plant life.

GEH also offers services in many other areas, including: [23]


Here are the list of GEH’s Power Plant offerings

Boiling Water Reactors

GE and Hitachi have developed the world’s safest Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) over 60 years, with 40 reactors operating in 5 countries. BWRs and Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) both use light water as coolant and steam source, but BWRs generate steam directly in the reactor core, while PWRs use a secondary loop to produce steam. [24]

Sodium Fast Reactors

GEH has over 70 years of experience in developing Sodium Fast Reactors (SFRs), offering greater fuel efficiency (4x) and higher electricity output (100x) than light water reactors (LWRs). SFRs help address the challenge of spent nuclear fuel by recycling uranium and transuranics, generating additional electricity while reducing long-term radiotoxicity. This innovative approach could provide a cleaner, more flexible energy solution for the future. [25]

BWRX-300 small module reactor

GE Hitachi (GEH) has over 60 years of experience in designing, deploying, and servicing nuclear reactors, with 67 reactors licensed in 10 countries. They have produced over 165,000 BWR fuel bundles and hold over 6,660 patents. GEH is leading in small modular reactor (SMR) development, offering clean, reliable, and decarbonized power. Nuclear energy, like the BWRX-300, operates at higher capacity factors than renewables, providing consistent, safe, and efficient power, essential for energy security and achieving net-zero emissions. [26]

Fuel services

GEH Fuel Manufacturing Sites (Worldwide)

GEH’s fuel cycle business supplies fuel products and services to customers around the world. GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy owns the Morris Operation—the only de facto high-level radioactive waste storage site in the United States. [27]

Wilmington (New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States of America)

It was dedicated in 1969, and is known as the home to the global headquarters. Takes up more than 1,500 acres. Produces zirconium-calloy components, uranium dioxide powder and pellets, and fuel assemblies for boiling water reactor market. [28]

Kurihama ( Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan)

Established in 1970, it has helped Japanese consumers provide nuclear energy. Originally the area consisted of rural farmlands, but has developed into an industrial community, with the power plant becoming important to the economy in Yokosuka. [28]

Outreach in North Carolina

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) announced plans to expand its Wilmington operations, aiming to create roughly 500 new jobs over the next five years to support the deployment of its modular reactor, the BWRX-300. These reactors are planned to go around the world, including the U.K., Sweden, Czech Republic, Estonia, and Canada. GEH has already hired around 250 employees this year and expects these jobs to significantly impact the North Carolina economy while helping meet climate goals. [29]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boiling water reactor</span> Type of nuclear reactor that directly boils water

A boiling water reactor (BWR) is a type of light water nuclear reactor used for the generation of electrical power. It is the second most common type of electricity-generating nuclear reactor after the pressurized water reactor (PWR), which is also a type of light water nuclear reactor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Light-water reactor</span> Type of nuclear reactor that uses normal water

The light-water reactor (LWR) is a type of thermal-neutron reactor that uses normal water, as opposed to heavy water, as both its coolant and neutron moderator; furthermore a solid form of fissile elements is used as fuel. Thermal-neutron reactors are the most common type of nuclear reactor, and light-water reactors are the most common type of thermal-neutron reactor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Gulf Nuclear Station</span> Nuclear power plant in Mississippi

Grand Gulf Nuclear Station is a nuclear power station with one operational GE BWR reactor. It lies on a 2,100 acres (850 ha) site near Port Gibson, Mississippi. The site is wooded and contains two lakes. The plant has a 520-foot natural draft cooling tower. As of January 2023, the plant employs 675 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vallecitos Nuclear Center</span>

The Vallecitos Nuclear Center is a nuclear research facility, and the site of a former GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy electricity-generating nuclear power plant in unincorporated Alameda County, California, United States. The facility is approximately 30 miles (48 km) east of San Francisco, under jurisdiction of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Region IV.

The "Nuclear Power 2010 Program" was launched in 2002 by President George W. Bush in 2002, 13 months after the beginning of his presidency, in order to restart orders for nuclear power reactors in the U.S. by providing subsidies for a handful of Generation III+ demonstration plants. The expectation was that these plants would come online by 2010, but it was not met.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advanced boiling water reactor</span> Nuclear reactor design

The advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR) is a Generation III boiling water reactor. The ABWR is currently offered by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) and Toshiba. The ABWR generates electrical power by using steam to power a turbine connected to a generator; the steam is boiled from water using heat generated by fission reactions within nuclear fuel. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa unit 6 is considered the first Generation III reactor in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supercritical water reactor</span> Concept nuclear reactor whose water operates at supercritical pressure

The supercritical water reactor (SCWR) is a concept Generation IV reactor, designed as a light water reactor (LWR) that operates at supercritical pressure. The term critical in this context refers to the critical point of water, and should not be confused with the concept of criticality of the nuclear reactor.

NUREG-1150 "Severe Accident Risks: An Assessment for Five U.S. Nuclear Power Plants", published December 1990 by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is a follow-up to the WASH-1400 and CRAC-II safety studies that employs the methodology of plant-specific Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA). The research team, led by Denwood Ross, Joseph Murphy, and Mark Cunningham, concluded that the current generation of nuclear power plants exceeded NRC safety goals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor</span> Nuclear reactor design

The Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) is a passively safe generation III+ reactor design derived from its predecessor, the Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (SBWR) and from the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR). All are designs by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), and are based on previous Boiling Water Reactor designs.

The B&W mPower was a proposed small modular reactor designed by Babcock & Wilcox, and to be built by Generation mPower LLC, a joint venture of Babcock & Wilcox and Bechtel. It was a Generation III+ integral pressurized water reactor concept.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PRISM (reactor)</span> Nuclear reactor design

PRISM is a nuclear power plant design by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NuScale Power</span> American nuclear technology company

NuScale Power Corporation is a publicly traded American company that designs and markets small modular reactors (SMRs). It is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. A 50 MWe version of the design was certified by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in January 2023. The current scalable 77 MWe SMR VOYGR design was submitted for NRC review on January 1, 2023, and as of December 2023 was about a third complete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small modular reactor</span> Small nuclear reactors that could be manufactured in a factory and transported on site

The small modular reactor (SMR) is a class of small nuclear fission reactor, designed to be built in a factory, shipped to operational sites for installation and then used to power buildings or other commercial operations. The term SMR refers to the size, capacity and modular construction. Reactor type and the nuclear processes may vary. Of the many SMR designs, the pressurized water reactor (PWR) is the most common. However, recently proposed SMR designs include: generation IV, thermal-neutron reactors, fast-neutron reactors, molten salt, and gas-cooled reactor models.

Boiling water reactor safety systems are nuclear safety systems constructed within boiling water reactors in order to prevent or mitigate environmental and health hazards in the event of accident or natural disaster.

The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is the regulator for the nuclear industry in the United Kingdom. It is an independent statutory corporation whose costs are met by charging fees to the nuclear industry. The ONR reports to the Department for Work and Pensions, although it also worked closely with the now-defunct Department of Energy and Climate Change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holtec International</span> Supplier of equipment and systems for the energy industry

Holtec International is a supplier of equipment and systems for the energy industry. Founded in Mount Laurel, New Jersey in 1986, Holtec International is a privately-held technology company with domestic operation centers in New Jersey, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania and worldwide in Brazil, India Japan, Mexico, Poland, South Africa, Spain, U.K. and Ukraine. It specializes in the design and manufacture of parts for nuclear reactors. The company sells equipment to manage spent nuclear fuel from nuclear reactors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GE BWR</span> Type of commercial fission reactor

General Electric's BWR product line of boiling water reactors represents the designs of a relatively large (~18%) percentage of the commercial fission reactors around the world.

The BWRX-300 is a design for a small modular nuclear reactor proposed by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH). The BWRX-300 would feature passive safety, in that neither external power nor operator action would be required to maintain a safe state, even in extreme circumstances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear microreactor</span> Very small nuclear reactor of 1-20 MW capacity

A nuclear microreactor is a plug-and-play type of nuclear reactor which can be easily assembled and transported by road, rail or air. Microreactors are 100 to 1,000 times smaller than conventional nuclear reactors, and range in capacity from 1 to 20 megawatts, compared to 20 to 300 megawatts for small modular reactors (SMRs). Due to their size, they can be deployed to locations such as isolated military bases or communities affected by natural disasters. It can operate as part of the grid, independent of the grid, or as part of a small grid for electricity generation and heat treatment. They are designed to provide resilient, non-carbon emitting, and independent power in challenging environments. The nuclear fuel source for the majority of the designs is "High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium", or HALEU.

References

  1. ↑ "Our Global Nuclear Alliance: Delivering Solutions Based On Experience, Reliability, and Innovation" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
  2. ↑ "GE Hitachi names new CEO". StarNewsOnline.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  3. 1 2 "The Evolution of the ESBWR". Power Magazine . November 1, 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Design Certification Information Page - ABWR". Design Certification Applications. Federal Government of the United States, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Rockville, MD, USA. June 3, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-28.
  5. ↑ "BWXT Completes Acquisition of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Canada Inc". Bloomberg.com. 19 December 2016.
  6. ↑ "GE and Hitachi Alliance Announces Sale of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Canada | GE News".
  7. ↑ "BWX Technologies, Inc. | People Strong, Innovation Driven".
  8. ↑ "GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Canada now BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada in Peterborough after sale deal closes". 22 December 2016.
  9. ↑ "Package ML103470210 - ESBWR FSER Final Chapters". Nuclear Regulatory Commission . Retrieved 2012-03-14.
  10. ↑ Johnson, Michael R. (9 March 2011). "Final Design Approval for the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor" (PDF). United States Department of Energy . Retrieved 2012-03-14.
  11. ↑ "NRC's Public Comment Period Ends on GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's Application for ESBWR Reactor Certification" (Press release). Genewscenter.com. 23 June 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
  12. ↑ "ESBWR Application Review Schedule". Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 17 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
  13. ↑ "NRC Certifies GE-Hitachi New Reactor Design" (PDF). Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 16 September 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-16.
  14. ↑ "ABWR set for UK design assessment". Nuclear Engineering International. January 16, 2013. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Hitachi-GE ABWR design cleared for use in UK". World Nuclear News. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  16. ↑ "GE Hitachi initiates US licensing of BWRX-300". World Nuclear News. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  17. 1 2 "GE Hitachi Signs Contract for the First North American Small Modular Reactor | GE News". www.ge.com. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
  18. ↑ "Federal Register :: Request Access".
  19. ↑ "GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's ESBWR Reactor Design Receives NRC's Final Design Approval, Clearing The Way For Global Sales". The Street. 2011-03-09. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  20. ↑ "NRC: ESBWR Application Review Schedule". www.nrc.gov. Archived from the original on 2009-05-14.
  21. ↑ "TerraPower Partners with GE Hitachi to Develop a Commercial Sodium Cooled Faster Reactor that Leverages a Molten Salt Thermal System". 29 August 2020.
  22. ↑ "Holtec and GEH team up on advancing SMR-160". World Nuclear News. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  23. ↑ "Nuclear Power Services | GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy". gevernova-nuclear. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  24. ↑ "Large Boiling Water Reactors | GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy". gevernova-nuclear. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  25. ↑ "Sodium Fast Reactors | GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy". gevernova-nuclear. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  26. ↑ "BWRX-300 Small Modular Reactor | GE Hitachi Nuclear". gevernova-nuclear. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  27. ↑ "GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas, LLC; GE-Hitachi Morris Operation Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation". Federal Register. July 19, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  28. 1 2 "Fuels | GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy". gevernova-nuclear. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
  29. ↑ "GE Hitachi Announces Large Hiring Plan to Support Worldwide Deployment of Reactor Technology | GE Vernova News". www.gevernova.com. Retrieved 2024-11-17.
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