A new project in Canada could be the future of energy. Prodigy Clean Energy is working on a portable nuclear power plant. The company, along with Pabineau First Nation and Eel River Bar First Nation, selected BWX Technologies’ BANR microreactor to help power it.

The Transportable Nuclear Power Plant in Belledune, New Brunswick, is expected to begin operations by the early 2030s, a common target for most advanced nuclear. According to the developers, the plant will produce 50 megawatts of electricity within the traditional territory of the First Nations.

The facility arrives fully assembled, and installation on-site takes about 18 months. To support the effort, the Government of New Brunswick signed a Letter of Intent to buy the generated power.

How the Microreactor Works

The BWXT Advanced Nuclear Reactor, or BANR, is a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor. It uses TRISO fuel with high-assay low-enriched uranium to produce 75 megawatts thermal, or 22 megawatts electric. The design features passive cooling and flexible power conversion options, making it easier to deploy in remote areas.

“The BWXT team is designing BANR to meet a variety of real-world heat and electricity demands that currently cannot be met without the use of carbon-emitting sources with complex fuel logistics,” said John MacQuarrie, BWXT president of Commercial Operations. “By joining forces with Prodigy and integrating BANR with Prodigy’s transportable platform design, we are truly expanding BWXT’s horizons for future customers while reinforcing Canada’s role at the forefront of innovative, deployable advanced nuclear energy solutions.”

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A Global Blueprint

Illustrative rendering of a Prodigy Transportable Nuclear Power Plant (TNPP); Photo: Prodigy Clean Energy

This project serves as a testing ground for mass-producing portable power plants for Canada’s North and global export markets.

“BWXT’s BANR is a best-in-class advanced nuclear technology with a credible pathway to delivering the G7’s first commercially operating Transportable Nuclear Power Plant,” said Mathias Trojer, president and CEO of Prodigy Clean Energy. “This Canadian pilot will serve as the reference to deploy a BANR-TNPP fleet across Northern, industrial, and global energy markets.”

BWXT Canada Ltd. and Kinectrics Inc. will supply a skilled Canadian workforce to support the plant. Most systems will be fabricated at BWXT facilities in Ontario before shipping to the site.