Canada’s Prodigy Clean Energy has completed a two-year research and development programme to advance its Transportable Nuclear Power Plant (TNPP) technology supported by CAD2.75m ($2m) from the government’s Enabling Small Modular Reactors (ESMR) programme.
Prodigy’s TNPP design for remote deployment was advanced using a surrogate TRISO-fuelled microreactor. Work with Kinectrics, Lloyd’s Register, Serco, C-Job Naval Architects and Risktec performed prototypical testing, provided support to Prodigy’s TNPP lifecycle analysis.
In the R&D programme, Prodigy used the Westinghouse eVinci microreactor (specifically its heat-pipe, TRISO-fuelled architecture) as the surrogate design for the TNPP. Although the facility is designed to be reactor agnostic, the eVinci served as the primary technical baseline because its characteristics (solid-state core, no coolant pumps, and factory-sealed nature) were suited for transportable marine deployment.
Kinectrics played a dual role as a high-level technical advisor and a laboratory testing partner, bridging the gap between nuclear engineering and marine manufacturing. Kinectrics conducted physical and simulated tests to demonstrate how the reactor would behave within the TNPP hull. This included testing the structural integrity and the interaction between the reactor and the transportable facility. An assessment of the facility’s ability to withstand external shocks such as seismic events, extreme weather, or marine accidents was undertaken to ensure the TRISO fuel remained contained even in a worst-case scenario.
Drawing on their experience with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), Kinectrics helped develop the licensing roadmap for the TNPP. They ensured that the “transportable” aspect of the plant met the rigorous safety standards required for a first-of-a-kind deployment in Canada. They performed the high-level safety analysis required to prove that the facility could be manufactured in a shipyard and then towed to a remote location without compromising the integrity of the nuclear core.
To complement Kinectrics’ nuclear expertise, the other partners handled the specialised marine and risk aspects. C-Job Naval Architects designed the hull and marine systems. Lloyd’s Register provided the maritime classification and safety certification. Serco & Risktec focused on the advanced safety case and human factors.
The conclusion of this work officially moved the project from theoretical to technically proven, allowing Prodigy to begin seeking firm commitments for their first commercial orderbook.
Prodigy is developing two sizes of facilities: the Prodigy Microreactor Power Station TNPP and the SMR Marine Power Station TNPP, which can integrate different sizes and types of nuclear reactors. Prodigy’s TNPPs 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 TNPP, reducing the need for additional land-based buildings. The TNPP is designed upfront to be completely removed and centrally decommissioned at end of service life.
Prodigy says constructing microreactors and SMRs in Northern regions comes with unique challenges: remoteness and lack of transportation infrastructure drive up construction costs; weather is extreme, limiting construction windows; and increasing permafrost thaw presents new challenges for structural ageing. These issues are being addressed by combining proven nuclear technologies with maritime factory fabrication, transport and construction practices, to deliver a fully-assembled nuclear plant, that meets Canadian regulatory requirements, to site. Upon arrival, the plant is fixed in place within a protected enclosure at the shoreline, either in a marine harbour or on land. Fuelling and final commissioning are completed at the site before beginning power generation.
“There is limited global precedent in how to design transportable nuclear facilities generally, and specifically, for commercial deployment in the Arctic,” said Prodigy Chief Business Development Officer Lori-Anne Ramsay.” For example, we developed a bounding envelope representative of the majority of Northern and Arctic environments, and designed the TNPP to be resilient to these sets of remote conditions, while guaranteeing safe and secure operation of the nuclear systems with minimal effects on the environment, and also maintaining cost effectiveness. R&D further completed prototypical testing, demonstrating that the TNPP can protect, deter, and deny, resisting both threats and accident scenarios.”
She added that a First Nation in Canada had proposed a TNPP pilot project. Next steps are to complete an integrated TNPP design using the selected SMR, and to tailor the site-based infrastructure for the deployment location. “The pilot will generate commercially-available electricity, validating the TNPP and its operational requirements, so that we can scale the technology for fleet deployment,” she said.
While the specific name of the First Nation community is currently protected under a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) due to commercial and industrial sensitivities. However, Prodigy is working closely with Des Nëdhé Group, the economic development corporation of the English River First Nation in Saskatchewan.
In 2024, Prodigy and Des Nëdhé signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore and develop opportunities to power remote regions of Canada utilising Prodigy’s TNPPs. The MOU explores using TNPPs to power remote mines and off-grid communities. The project aims for a “first-of-a-kind” deployment between 2030 and 2032. Prodigy and Des Nëdhé will explore potential TNPP projects, and engage with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis across Canada, identifying ways in which Indigenous Peoples could have ownership in TNPP new builds, and how an Indigenous workforce could participate in TNPP commercialisation and strategic infrastructure development.
In 2025, Prodigy said it is also working with a multinational mining company on its first TNPP project with the aim of supplying power to a large remote critical minerals cluster in Canada. The identity of the company is also protected under a NDA. Phase II feasibility studies are underway. These include gathering site and environmental data, performing a prototypical test programme, and engagement with the local Indigenous communities. TNPP deployment is designed to offset diesel generation, supplying lower-cost, reliable and carbon-free electricity and heat for up to 60 years.
“To become a clean energy superpower, we need to deploy affordable, reliable, clean Canadian energy from coast to coast to coast –especially in rural, northern and remote regions, where there can be fewer options for families, said Tim Hodgson, Canadian Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. “That is why our new government is proud to support projects like Prodigy’s Transportable Nuclear Power Plant. By advancing promising Canadian technologies such as Prodigy’s, we are supporting economic growth in the North while strengthening Canada’s energy security.”
