Industry Update—June 2025

The California-based companies Antares and ExLabs have formed a strategic partnership to develop a commercial nuclear-powered spacecraft platform for both geostational orbit (GEO) and deep space operations (GEO+). The platform is to be created by integrating Antares’s nuclear microreactor technology into ExLabs’ Science Exploration and Resource Vehicle (SERV). The first step in the partnership is to be a GEO demonstration mission in which ExLabs will build and deploy a spacecraft that hosts Antares’s microreactor. This mission is expected to serve as validation for broader adoption of nuclear technologies for GEO+ missions. Subsequent steps will involve long-term collaboration between the two companies, including the optimization of the SERV platform for nuclear propulsion, leading to next-generation nuclear capabilities for missions to the moon, asteroids, and Mars. In a joint statement, Antares and ExLabs stated the partnership will enable “long-duration missions, advanced propulsion capabilities, and scalable power solutions for commercial, defense, and scientific applications.”

The Purdue Applied Research Institute (PARI) Infrastructure Innovation Lab (PIIL) and Holtec International have formed a strategic partnership to collaborate on research into confirming the structural efficacy of Holtec’s concrete-strengthened steel modules (CSSMs), which the company has developed for its planned SMR-300 plant. CSSMs are designed to maximize structural strength for both nuclear and nonnuclear enclosures in the small modular reactor plant and to minimize on-site construction work and cost through automated robotic welding and in-shop fabrication. According to Holtec, CSSMs also offer simplicity of surface decontamination and commodity attachments (such as baseplates for pipe supports), reduction in required radiation shielding thickness, and improved performance at high temperatures. The first CSSM of the SMR-300’s containment structure has successfully completed a test at Purdue University’s Bowen Laboratory for Large-Scale Civil Engineering Research, demonstrating a capacity that was greater than the theoretical estimate.

The SMR-300 is being designed and manufactured at Holtec’s Krishna P. Singh Technology Campus in Camden, N.J. PARI has expertise in steel-plate composites and nuclear regulation, both of which are relevant to the further development of the SMR-300. Amit Varma, professor at Purdue and executive director of the PIIL, is serving as a technical consultant for the design finalization of the CSSM.

The Australian ship design group Seatransport is partnering with U.S.-based Deployable Energy and U.K.-based Lloyd’s Register to develop advanced nuclear power technology for strategic response vessels operating in remote areas. Lloyd’s Register is leading the project, which has the ultimate goal of deploying two to five micro modular reactors (MMRs), each with a capacity of 1 MWe, to power a 240-foot amphibious vessel designed for emergency response and disaster relief in remote areas. In addition to allowing the vessel to operate for eight to 10 years without refueling, the MMRs will be able to feed electric power into shore grids when the vessel is docked at port.

Deployable Energy also has been developing a 1-MW Unity nuclear battery, which fits inside a 20-foot shipping container. The company hopes to have 100,000 of these nuclear batteries deployed by 2040. Lloyd’s Register released a report last year that proposed using nuclear power to transform the maritime industry by extending the lives of vessels and removing uncertainties associated with fuel and refueling infrastructure.

TerraPower and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, an affiliate of HD Hyundai that specializes in shipbuilding, have formed a strategic collaboration to scale the global manufacturing supply chain for components of TerraPower’s Natrium sodium-cooled fast reactor. The companies intend to build new supply chain capacity to enable large-scale production and global deployment of the Natrium reactors. According to the companies, their collaboration creates the manufacturing foundation for full commercial deployment of Natrium beyond the initial demonstration project, which is currently under development in Wyoming. HD Hyundai was previously selected to provide the reactor vessel for the Wyoming plant.

TerraPower also has formed a long-term strategic alliance with KBR to commercialize and deploy Natrium reactors in North America, the United Kingdom, the EU, and elsewhere. In this alliance, TerraPower will lead efforts on engineering, R&D, supply chains, and regulatory activities. KBR will provide engineering, procurement, and construction management services, including work related to design, commissioning, and financing.

NuScale Power Corporation has opened a new Energy Exploration (E2) Center at the University of Nevada–Las Vegas. The center, funded by a grant from the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy University Program, focuses on supporting the development of a skilled, nuclear-ready workforce. NuScale’s E2 Centers use state-of-the-art computer modeling to provide learning opportunities through simulated real-world nuclear power plant scenarios. The UNLV E2 Center features a 12-module SMR control room simulator for students. The center will also provide community outreach and education regarding the benefits of nuclear power. Other E2 Centers are located at Idaho State University, Ohio State University, Oregon State University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Texas A&M, University Politehnica of Bucharest, Ghana Atomic Commission, and Seoul National University.

The Virginia-based engineering technology firm Amentum has been selected by Czech utility ČEZ to help advance the utility’s plans to deploy two SMRs. Amentum’s nuclear and project management specialists in the Czech city of Brno are to deliver environmental impact assessment reports regarding proposals for Rolls-Royce SMRs at two sites—in Temelin, where there is a ČEZ-owned nuclear power plant, and in Tušimice, where there is a coal-fired power plant scheduled for decommissioning. Amentum previously performed initial scoping studies for these sites before being awarded the contract for the full EIA reports, which are to cover such issues as potential radiological hazards, waste management, transportation, accident conditions and consequences, and prevention of groundwater and river contamination. Once completed, the EIA reports will be the subject of a public hearing and independent assessment before they are reviewed by the Czech Ministry of the Environment.

Two fusion companies based in the U.K.—Frazer-Nash Consultancy and First Light Fusion—have signed a nonexclusive letter of understanding to collaborate on the development of fusion engineering technologies. Frazer-Nash agreed to provide its expertise with complex engineering and systems development to support the business strategy that First Light Fusion launched in February. That strategy calls for partnering with other innovative companies to help First Light leverage its proprietary technologies, research facilities, and technological expertise. The new collaboration will focus on delivering engineering solutions and new technical capabilities to strengthen the U.K. fusion supply chain and innovation network. This collaboration follows the U.K. government’s announced investment of £410 million ($540 million) to accelerate the development of fusion energy and support the country’s fusion energy sector during the 2020s.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTS

TNA continues to expand

The Texas Nuclear Alliance, which is dedicated to the advancement of nuclear technology in Texas, has added isotope enrichment technology developer Hexium and global full-service law firm Morgan Lewis & Bockius as founding members. Austin-based Hexium focuses on laser isotope separation and industrial-scale production to create a scalable supply of isotopes for the nuclear energy industry, beginning with lithium-6 and lithium-7. The company’s research and development is building on work in atomic vapor laser isotope separation (AVLIS) performed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Morgan Lewis & Bockius is one of the few law firms with a specialized nuclear regulatory practice, and it is the only firm ranked by Chambers and Partners in Band 1 for Energy: Nuclear (Regulatory & Litigation). The company has offices in strategic hubs of commerce, law, and government around the world, including in North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

AtkinsRéalis has welcomed Novartis Canada as a new ambassador in support of the Canadians for CANDU campaign. Novartis Canada is a developer of radioligand therapy, a cancer treatment that uses radioactive particles attached to molecules to locate and destroy cancer cells in the body while minimizing harm to healthy tissue.

Cochaired by former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and former Ontario Premier Mike Harris, the campaign was launched in February 2024 to promote the deployment of CANDU nuclear technology in Canada and abroad in support of global efforts to reach net-zero emissions.

The United Kingdom’s National Skills Academy for Nuclear (NSAN) has presented U.K. Nuclear Decommissioning Authority subsidiary Nuclear Waste Services with a Special Recognition Award for its “transformative approach to sustainability—integrating environmental responsibility, employee engagement and community impact.” NSAN Managing Director Tricia Austin presented the award to NWS sustainability lead Rob Ward in a presentation that highlighted NWS’s Sustainability Champions Network, a team that has volunteered for such initiatives as the development of sustainable travel practices and a carbon footprint tool for events.

CONTRACTS

Agreement signed for radioisotope power system on moon missions

Zeno Power Systems has signed a strategic agreement with ispace technologies U.S. to jointly develop technologies for lunar landing missions, with the goal of demonstrating a mission as early as 2027. The agreement focuses on integrating Zeno Power’s radioisotope power system (RPS) into future robotic lunar landers. An RPS will be able to provide continuous, reliable electricity and heat to a spacecraft on the lunar surface for extended durations, even during the harsh lunar night, when sunlight is absent for two Earth weeks and surface temperatures drop below −280°F (−173°C). Such conditions present difficult challenges for the solar power and battery systems that are typically used on spacecraft. Zeno Power noted in a statement that overcoming these challenges is “key to unlocking a sustained human and robotic presence on the Moon.” ispace’s three business units—in the United States, Japan, and Luxembourg—specialize in missions to the moon, such as the company’s Mission 2, featuring the Resilience lander, which completed a lunar flyby in February and is slated to land on the moon in June.

Westinghouse Electric Company has signed a memorandum of understanding with Celeros Flow Technology to give Celeros the opportunity to design and fabricate valves and pumps for new Westinghouse AP1000 and AP300 projects in Canada and elsewhere. Westinghouse, which gains access to Celeros’s specialist engineering expertise through the agreement, stated that the MOU will help it expand its AP1000 technology and introduce new AP300 projects while also expanding its Canadian nuclear supply chain. Celeros stated that the agreement will help further secure its “market-leading position in nuclear flow control.” Celeros is planning to support new Westinghouse reactor projects through its facility in Burlington, Ontario, which has a dedicated workspace for the manufacture and maintenance of nuclear pumps and valves.

AtkinsRéalis subsidiary Candu Energy has signed preferred vendor agreements with eight companies to accelerate the refurbishments and new builds of CANDU reactors in Canada and around the world. The eight Canadian companies—BC Instruments, BWX Technologies, Celeros, ES Fox, Niagara Energy, NWI Precision, Senior Flexonics, and Velan—agreed to assist Candu Energy with the engineering development of updated CANDU reactors and the accelerated construction of new reactors while reducing costs and risks. Candu Energy stated that it views all of these vendors as trusted partners who “have consistently delivered excellence over the years and have been crucial to Candu Energy’s ability to deliver on-time and on-budget refurbishments and life extensions.” The new agreements build on the more than $1.3 billion in supplier purchase orders that were issued by AtkinsRéalis in 2024, almost 90 percent of which went to Canadian companies.

Global professional services company Turner & Townsend and Canada-based nuclear consulting company Nuclear Promise X have entered into a strategic teaming agreement to jointly pursue and deliver nuclear project opportunities, primarily in Canada. The two-year agreement, which includes the option for annual extensions, combines Turner & Townsend’s expertise in project management and controls with NPX’s expertise in nuclear technical innovation. NPX partners with utilities and other organizations on projects designed to advance nuclear power as part of the global energy mix.

Swiss nuclear power plant operator Kernkraftwerk Leibstadt has selected Framatome to modernize the instrumentation and control (I&C) systems at its plant near Leibstadt, Switzerland. KKL’s modernization project includes the complete replacement of the I&C for the engineered safety functions. This work is expected to result in improvements in plant operations and availability and in simplification of future plant maintenance. Framatome plans to conduct the work based on the latest generation of its digital TELEPERM XS technology, which has been installed in numerous reactors around the world. According to KKL, the continued modernization and renovation activities at Leibstadt, which has one reactor commissioned in 1984, will keep the plant operating safely, reliably, and economically until at least 2045.