AtkinsRéalis has signed a 20-year agreement with First American Nuclear Company to become the engineering, procurement and construction management provider for First American Nuclear’s small modular reactor deployments in North America.
According to AtkinsRéalis’ Wednesday press release, work on the first task orders is already underway and agreement contemplates services are worth up to $250 million over the first five years of the contract.
Under first work orders, AtkinsRéalis will prepare procedures needed for the design work, such as a quality program and engineering procedures, the company said. It will also take on the conceptual design for the balance of plant and review the design of the nuclear steam supply steam, AtkinsRéalis added.
First American Nuclear, based in Indianapolis, is developing a 240-megawatt SMR named EAGL-1. The EAGL-1 reactor is the only U.S. nuclear reactor design cooled by lead-bismuth, a liquid metal alloy that has been used in successful nuclear systems abroad for decades, according to the release.
First American Nuclear submitted a regulatory engagement plan to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on April 15. That filing opened up the pre-application engagement process with the nuclear regulator.
“The surge in US power demand is expected to intensify, largely by data centers and AI, as well as the need for greater grid resilience,” AtkinsRéalis President of Nuclear Joe St. Julian said.
St. Julian continued: “We’ll need all sources of efficient baseload power to meet the country’s energy requirements, including large and small nuclear reactor technology, and we’ll draw on our deep expertise working on SMR technologies around the world to deliver best-in-class services in support of FANCO’s [First American Nuclear] ambition to deploy a cost‑effective utility‑scale power across the US.”