BWXT Selected for U.S. Department of Energy Cost-Share Program for Advanced Nuclear Technology Development

BWX Technologies, Inc. announced today that its BWXT Nuclear Energy, Inc. subsidiary has been awarded $5.4 million in cost-sharing funds from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for an advanced nuclear technology development initiative.

In cooperation with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, BWXT will use its unique capabilities and facilities to develop the ability to implement additive materials manufacturing to the fabrication process for nuclear components and sub-components that will yield acceptable material structure and strength that can be accepted by the national code organizations and the regulator.

“BWXT is committed to nuclear innovation, and we believe additive manufacturing is the key to producing high-quality reactor components at a lower cost and on a shorter timeline,” said Rex D. Geveden, BWXT’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We appreciate the DOE’s confidence in our program and look forward to demonstrating positive results that could change the face of reactor component manufacturing.”

U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry announced BWXT’s award on April 27, 2018, along with 12 other projects. These selections are the first under the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy’s “U.S. Industry Opportunities for Advanced Nuclear Technology Development” funding opportunity announcement.

According to the DOE news release, “The selected awards underscore the importance of the private-public partnerships engaged in by U.S. companies in order to share expertise needed to successfully develop innovative nuclear technologies. The projects will allow industry-led teams, which include participants from federal agencies, public and private laboratories, institutions of higher education, and other domestic entities, to advance the state of U.S. commercial nuclear capability.”