GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) and Synthos SA have agreed to collaborate on potential deployment applications for GEH’s BWRX-300 small modular reactor in Poland.

Synthos, a manufacturer of synthetic rubber and one of the biggest producers of chemical raw materials in Poland, is interested in obtaining affordable, on-demand, carbon-free electricity from a dependable, dedicated source. In a Memorandum of Understanding signed by GEH and Synthos, the companies have agreed to investigate the potential to construct GEH’s BWRX-300 small modular reactor in Poland.

“The BWRX-300 is a breakthrough innovation for the industry where cost has become a significant barrier,” said Jon Ball, Executive Vice President of Nuclear Plant Projects for GEH. “Through our design-to-cost approach, we are designing the BWRX-300 to be cost competitive with gas, renewables and other forms of power generation. We applaud Synthos for its interest in small modular reactor technology and advocacy of clean-energy options for Poland.”

“Small modular reactors can play a significant role in addressing Poland’s energy challenges, the modernization of the nation’s energy sector and in achieving necessary and responsible deep decarbonization,” said Michal Solowow, owner of Synthos, a part of the largest private industrial group in Poland. “Utilizing small modular reactors to generate clean energy will improve our chances to move away from coal and have a positive impact on our industry and nation.”

The BWRX-300, a 300 MWe water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with passive safety systems, leverages the design and licensing basis of GEH’s U.S. NRC-certified ESBWR. Through dramatic design simplification, GEH projects the BWRX-300 will require up to 60 percent less capital cost per MW when compared to other water-cooled SMR designs or existing large nuclear reactor designs.

By leveraging the ESBWR design certification, utilizing licensed and proven nuclear fuel, incorporating proven components and supply chains and implementing simplification innovations, GEH believes that the BWRX-300 can become cost-competitive with power generation from combined cycle gas plants and renewable energy platforms.

As the tenth evolution of GE’s first Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) design, GEH’s BWRX-300 represents the simplest, yet most innovative BWR design since GE began commercializing nuclear reactors in 1955.