GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) on 11 February announced the formation of GEH SMR Technologies Canada Ltd to support the deployment of the BWRX-300 Small Modular Reactor (SMR) in Canada. Lisa McBride has been named Country Leader, Small Modular Reactors. In this role she will collaborate with Canadian customers, stakeholders, suppliers and partners to bring the first grid-scale SMR to market by 2028. “We are quickly progressing to further build our local presence by identifying key suppliers and enhancing relationships with stakeholders and communities,” McBride said.
“GE has been a pioneer in Canada’s commercial nuclear energy industry since the 1950s and was part of a consortium that developed the country’s first nuclear plant, the Nuclear Power Demonstration unit in 1962,” said Jon Ball, Executive Vice President of Nuclear Products for GEH. “With the establishment of our Canadian SMR business we look forward to building on this legacy and bringing the world’s first grid-scale SMR to Canada, positioning Ontario as a hub for SMR technology.”
McBride is president of Women in Nuclear (WiN) Canada, an organization of more than 3,000 industry members across Canada. She also serves as chair of the Women for STEM Council at Ontario Tech University and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Canadian Nuclear Association. She brings nearly 18 years of nuclear experience gained in a number of key roles throughout her career in the Canadian energy sector.
The BWRX-300 is a 300 MWe water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems that leverages the design and licensing basis of GEH’s U.S. NRC-certified ESBWR. Through dramatic and innovative design simplification, GEH projects the BWRX-300 will require significantly less capital cost per MW when compared to other SMR designs. By leveraging the existing ESBWR design certification, utilizing the licensed and proven GNF2 fuel design and incorporating proven components and supply chain expertise the BWRX-300 can, GEH believes, become the lowest-risk, most cost-competitive and quickest to market SMR.
