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SGE SMR UK and Origin Nuclear signed a letter of intent on a joint venture to operate 14 planned BWRX-300 SMRs, 4.2 GW across three UK sites, with the first unit targeted for 2034. The JV is not yet formed.
2 min readAI-assisted
GE Vernova Hitachi's illustration of a BWRX-300 plant. It is a design rendering, not a photo of an SGE site.
Image: GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy
Source · Press image from the GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy website, used for news reporting.
SGE SMR UK, the British project company of Poland's SGE, and Origin Nuclear, a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation (OPG), have signed a letter of intent to set up a joint venture that would operate a planned fleet of 14 BWRX-300 small modular reactors in the UK, World Nuclear News reported on Oct. 22.
Under the plan, the joint venture would become a UK nuclear operating company. Origin would support licensing, commissioning and operational readiness, and would run the plants and central support services across the fleet. SGE, formerly Synthos Green Energy, earlier this year outlined privately financed plans for the 14 units on three UK sites and filed an application under the UK's Advanced Nuclear Framework, according to World Nuclear News.
The planned 14-reactor fleet would total 4.2 GW, an SGE figure; the deal is a letter of intent, not a contract.
Illustration (AI-generated)
The proposed fleet totals 4.2 GW, which SGE says would cover around 11% of UK power demand, or the needs of almost eight million homes, for at least 60 years. That is the developer's figure, not an independent forecast. For data-center planners, the point is firm, low-carbon supply on a fixed schedule: the first unit is planned to start commercial operation in 2034.
The BWRX-300 is a 300 MWe boiling water SMR with natural circulation and passive safety systems, designed by GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy. It builds on the design and licensing basis of the company's ESBWR, which holds US Nuclear Regulatory Commission certification. SGE is a co-investor in the design alongside GE Vernova Hitachi, OPG and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
The first UK site is planned to host six reactors, with two further multi-unit sites to follow. SGE says repeat builds, coordinated procurement and shared experience between sites are the reason for the multi-unit approach. Its delivery team includes GE Vernova Hitachi, Samsung C&T, Laing O'Rourke, Aecon Group, Fermi Development and Etara.
Origin's parent OPG has begun construction of the first BWRX-300 at Darlington in Ontario, planned as the first of four units there. In September the US NRC issued TVA a construction permit for a BWRX-300 at the Clinch River site in Tennessee, as the source recounts. An operator that already works with the first reference plant gives SGE a licensing and staffing route that other SMR developers still have to secure. Voltgrid News reported earlier on Amazon's X-energy SMR study in Indiana.
SGE chief executive Rafal Kasprow called the choice of operating partner one of the most important decisions in a nuclear project. The company also sees the model supporting BWRX-300 projects elsewhere in Europe.
A letter of intent is not a binding contract, and the joint venture has not been formed. No financing, final site list or licensing dates were given in the report beyond the 2034 target for the first unit, and that date is a goal rather than a commitment. The 4.2 GW and 11% figures come from SGE. Voltgrid will track the signed joint venture agreement and the regulatory steps that follow.
