Westinghouse, University of Saskatchewan to collaborate for eVinci deployment

Tuesday, 22 April 2025

Under the agreement, Westinghouse and the University of Saskatchewan will explore collaboration opportunities for the technical development and deployment analysis for the eVinci technology which Westinghouse is working to deploy in the province.

The university's Associate Vice-President Terry Fonstad said the multidisciplinary research involving several of the university's departments including its School of Environment and Sustainability and College of Engineering could potentially make a profound impact. "By leveraging our combined expertise and resources, we can drive forward advancements that will benefit our communities and enable us to set a global standard for clean energy innovation," he said.

"The eVinci microreactor stands to provide Western Canada with a sustainable, reliable and economically beneficial energy solution," said Jon Ball, President of Westinghouse eVinci Technologies. "By leveraging the University of Saskatchewan's research capabilities, we can accelerate deployment of our microreactor and contribute to the advancement of energy security and clean power generation in Saskatchewan and beyond."

As part of the collaboration, the School of Environment and Sustainability has conducted an economic analysis of the benefits and opportunities an eVinci microreactor could bring if deployed in remote communities to provide reliable and resilient power and heat. Results from the economic analysis, which covers impacts on community growth and investment, health and safety, will be announced in the coming months, the partners said.

The eVinci is a heatpipe-cooled microreactor which can produce up to 5 MWe with a 15 MWt core design. The TRISO-fuelled reactor core is designed to run for eight or more full-power years before refuelling, and the factory-built and assembled reactor can be shipped in a container to provide versatile, scalable energy for a variety of applications. With very few moving parts, Westinghouse says eVinci essentially works as a battery, providing "carbon-free, safe and scalable energy wherever it is needed for a variety of applications, including providing reliable electricity and heating for data centres, the oil and gas industry, mining operations, remote communities, universities, industrial centers, and defence facilities, and soon the lunar surface and beyond."

In 2023, the province of Saskatchewan announced CAD80 million (USD59 million) of funding for the Saskatchewan Research Council to pursue the demonstration of a microreactor in Saskatchewan, with plans for an eVinci micoreactor to be operational in there from 2029. The reactor is currently undergoing the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission's Vendor Design Review process.