The BANR - BWXT Advanced Nuclear Reactor - is a 22 MWe/75 MWt high-temperature gas-cooled reactor designed to use TRISO (TRIstructural-ISOtropic) fuel.
Prodigy's planned project of a Transportable Nuclear Power Plant (TNPP) would be Indigenous-led and feature two of the microreactors. It would "validate plant logistics and operational requirements, creating the commercial blueprint to mass deploy a TNPP fleet across Canada's North and global export markets".
The transportable power plants can be factory-built and the target time to installation is 18 months, with the facility arriving at the site fully assembled, ready for fuelling and related fuel-in commissioning.
When it announced the proposed pilot project last month, Prodigy said it would construct a new campus in Belledune featuring a centralised operations and maintenance hub to monitor and service a Northern TNPP fleet and train future plant workers; and a state-of-the-art Indigenous Energy Innovation Visitor Centre. The power plant itself is expected to generate more than 150 jobs during site preparation and 40 permanent jobs on site.
The New Brunswick government has signed a letter of intent with Prodigy and the First Nations to offtake the electricity generated. The target in-service date for the plant, which could power 40,000 homes, is the "early 2030s".
John MacQuarrie, BWXT president of Commercial Operations, said: "The BWXT team is designing BANR to meet a variety of real-world heat and electricity demands that currently cannot be met without the use of carbon-emitting sources with complex fuel logistics.
"By joining forces with Prodigy and integrating BANR with Prodigy's transportable platform design, we are truly expanding BWXT’s horizons for future customers while reinforcing Canada’s role at the forefront of innovative, deployable advanced nuclear energy solutions."
Mathias Trojer, president and CEO of Prodigy Clean Energy, said: "BWXT's BANR is a best-in-class advanced nuclear technology with a credible pathway to delivering the G7's first commercially operating Transportable Nuclear Power Plant. This Canadian pilot will serve as the reference to deploy a BANR-TNPP fleet across Northern, industrial and global energy markets."
Ontario Energy Minister Stephen Lecce said: "Ontario is proud to back the next frontier of clean energy innovation through the Transportable Nuclear Power Plant project. Just like Ontario's small modular reactor project, the development of a Canadian-made Transportable Nuclear Power Plant represents the first commercially operating microreactor in the G7."
BWXT Canada and BWXT owned Kinectrics say they will "deploy a skilled Canadian workforce to support the project, enabled by the significant scale up in the industry from CANDU refurbishment and new build projects".
BWXT and Prodigy say they are working towards a definitive cooperative agreement to "target commercial, industrial and defense energy projects globally for future applications".
Prodigy says its Transportable Nuclear Power Plants are not barges with reactors onboard - they are purpose-designed, marine-fabricated buildings qualified to house operating nuclear reactors. All systems and components are contained within the plant, reducing the need for additional land-based buildings. They are customisable from 1-1,000 MWe gross output, and can be tailored for high-heat applications.
The BANR was one of five microreactors selected by the US Department of the Army in August for deployment as part of its USD2.2 billion Janus Program. BWX Technologies says it is targeting groundbreaking for construction at its allocated site - Fort Campbell, Kentucky - in late 2028 with reactor operations commencing in the early 2030s.
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