Elementl Power is moving into utility-scale nuclear, signing an Early Works Agreement with GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) to build a nuclear plant of up to 1.5 GW using BWRX-300 small modular reactors along the Ohio River in Meigs County, Ohio. Announced June 18, it would be among the first SMR-based projects in the United States.
Five reactors on the Ohio River
The proposed facility sits on roughly 700 acres in Letart Township, about 100 miles southeast of Columbus. At 1.5 GW it would be equivalent to five BWRX-300 units, each rated at 300 MWe. Elementl has agreed to purchase the site from American Municipal Power, the nonprofit wholesale power supplier that owns the land.
"GE Vernova Hitachi is a proven, global leader in nuclear technology, and we're pleased to partner with them to deploy their advanced BWRX-300 reactor at this site," said Elementl Chairman and CEO Chris Colbert, who framed the plant as an economic anchor for southeast Ohio.
Why the BWRX-300
The BWRX-300 is a boiling water small modular reactor built on proven fuel and passive safety systems, and is already under construction at Ontario Power Generation's Darlington site in Canada. GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik said projects like the Ohio plant "will strengthen the foundation for long-term energy security, economic growth, and reliable electricity generation in the United States." The technology has also been selected by Tennessee Valley Authority and, internationally, by utilities in Sweden, Poland and Estonia.
Grid and regulatory path
Elementl has filed a request with grid operator PJM Interconnection to connect the first 600 MW of output, with a response expected later this year. The project still needs approvals from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Ohio Power Siting Board. As a private development, Elementl says it will finance the plant itself rather than charging electricity ratepayers, with construction of the first unit targeted for 2030 and commercial operation by 2034.
The move adds Ohio to a fast-growing U.S. SMR pipeline that also includes NuScale safety-system work, Deep Fission's underground reactors and NX Atomics' additively manufactured components, as data-center demand revives interest in around-the-clock nuclear baseload.
Reporting based on coverage from POWER Magazine, PR Newswire and World Nuclear News.