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 first boiling water reactor (BWR). The research into the project continued for the next 50 years resulting in the production of 6 different generations of BWRs.[2] 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.[3]
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, its main business 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. It provided fuel and serviced nuclear power plants that operate on heavy water reactors made by Atomic Energy Canada.[2] In 2016, GE and Hitachi sold GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Canada to BWXT Canada Ltd., and it was renamed BWXT Nuclear Energy Canada.[4][5][6][7]
In 2005, GE Hitachi filed a design certification by the USNRC for their Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR). The ESBWR received a positive Safety Evaluation Report[8] and Final Design Approval[9] on March 9, 2011. On June 7, 2011, the USNRC completed its public comment period.[10] 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.[11][12] 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.[13] The process was completed in December 2017.[14]
In 2023, the company signed a contract with Ontario Power Generation, SNC-Lavalin, and Aecon to deploy a BWRX-300small modular reactor (SMR) at OPG's Darlington New Nuclear Project site, the first contract for a North American grid-scale SMR.[15] To support the development of the BWRX-300 SMR, GVH has signed memoranda of understanding with companies in Canada, Poland, UK, US, and Sweden, among others. Also in 2023, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) began the process of preliminary licensing of a BWRX-300 in collaboration with Ontario Power Generation (OPG), and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) and Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission likewise collaborated to support both projects.[15]
In January 2020, the company started the regulatory licensing process for the BWRX-300 with the USNRC,[16] and in 2023 it had begun the licensing process for the BWRX-300 in the UK.[15] In 2022, SaskPower announced that it had selected the BWRX-300 for potential use in Saskatchewan, Canada, aiming for deployment in the mid-2030s, and ORLEN Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) began the pre-licensing process for the reactor in Poland.
Reactors
The Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) is the world's first operational Generation III Class advanced light water reactor design. The USNRC has registered GVH's petition for renewal of ABWR certification.[17] 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 USNRC by September 2011.[18][19] The USNRC granted design approval in September 2014.[20]
GVH offers services for adapting plant performance and power output as well as maintenance for extending plant life as nuclear plants get older and worldwide demand for energy increases. It also offers nuclear power services in many other areas, including outage services, general plant upgrades, inspections, and virtual reality training simulators. [23]
Boiling water reactors
GE and Hitachi have both developed boiling water reactors for over 60 years, with 40 reactors currently operating in 5 countries. BWRs and pressurized water reactors (PWRs) both use light water as a 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
As a successor to the nuclear energy legacy of GE and Hitachi, GVH has over 70 years of experience in developing sodium-cooled 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.[25]
BWRX-300 small module reactor
GVH has over 60 years of experience in designing, deploying, and servicing nuclear reactors, with 67 reactors licensed in 10 countries.[citation needed] They have produced over 165,000 BWR fuel bundles and hold over 6,660 patents.[26]
Fuel manufacturing sites
GVH’s fuel cycle business supplies fuel products and services to customers around the world. GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy owns the Morris Operation—the only de facto high-level radioactive waste storage site in the United States.[27]
Wilmington (North Carolina, USA)
The site was dedicated in 1969, and is also the location of GVH's global headquarters. It takes up more than 1,500 acres, and produces zirconium-alloy components, uranium dioxide powder and pellets, and fuel assemblies for the boiling water reactor market.[28]
Kurihama (Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan)
Established in 1970, this site has provided Japanese consumers with nuclear energy. Originally built on rural farmland, the Kurihama site has developed into an industrial community, with the power plant becoming an important part of the economy in the Kanagawa region.[28]
Outreach in North Carolina
In 2022, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy 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 be installed around the world, including the U.K., Poland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Estonia, and Canada. GEH had already hired around 250 employees at the time of its announcement and expected these jobs to significantly impact the North Carolina economy while helping to meet climate goals.[29]
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