BWXT signs multi-year TRISO fuel agreement with Antares for 1 MTU
Fuel will be made at BWXT's Lynchburg, Virginia, plant on the same TRISO line used for the Department of War's Project Pele and Antares' Mark-0 reactors.
Key facts
- Initial allocation of 1 MTU, with ability to increase as deployment requirements evolve
- Deliveries set by future task orders defining quantities, schedules and technical requirements
- Mark-1 electricity-producing reactor to run on BWXT fuel in 2027, per CEO Jordan Bramble
- Antares founded 2023, backed by more than $600 million in funding
- Initial production deployments to U.S. military installations from 2028, per Antares
BWX Technologies' BWXT Advanced Fuels subsidiary entered a multi-year commercial agreement with Antares Nuclear covering production of tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) nuclear fuel, BWXT said on October 27. The agreement sets terms for an initial allocation of 1 MTU (metric ton uranium), with volumes able to increase as Antares' deployment requirements evolve.
The fuel will be manufactured at BWXT's Lynchburg, Virginia, facility on the same TRISO fabrication line used to produce fuel for the Department of War's Project Pele and for Antares' Mark-0 reactor. BWXT-produced fuel supported Mark-0's criticality earlier this year.
Deliveries will follow future task orders that define quantities, delivery schedules and technical requirements as Antares' reactor program progresses. Jordan Bramble, Antares' CEO and co-founder, said the fuel "will power our electricity producing reactor, Mark-1, in 2027," and that securing the line through the end of the decade means the company's first production deployments run on fuel from a process it has already proven. Antares said it is on track to produce electricity from an advanced reactor in 2027, with initial production deployments to U.S. military installations beginning in 2028.
