Startup nuclear project developer Elementl Power is pursuing plans to build a 1,500-megawatt nuclear plant using GE Vernova Hitachi’s BWRX-300 reactors in southeast Ohio.
Construction on the first unit is expected to begin by 2030, subject to a final investment decision and regulatory approval, Elementl Power said in its June 18 press release, and hope that it will be completed by 2034.
Washington, D.C.-based Elementl Power signed an early works agreement with GE Vernova to use the BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) for the plant. A BWRX-300 SMR is a boiling water reactor with a generating capacity of 300 megawatts.
The company said it intends to use a nearly 700-acre property in Meigs County in Ohio. The site is located along the Ohio River in Letart Township, Ohio and nearly 100 miles southeast of Columbus. Elementl Power agreed to buy the site from American Municipal Power.
Elementl Power plans to finance the cost of the proposed plant, since it is a private development project. If constructed, the project will not be funded through electric customer rates, the company added.
“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,” Elementl Power Chairman and CEO Chris Colbert said.
“Nuclear projects are substantial economic anchors for their communities, and with a proud industrial legacy, southeast Ohio brings the foundation and workforce needed for a project of this magnitude,” Colbert finished.
Elementl Power filed a request with PJM Interconnection, a regional transmission organization, to connect the site to regional transmission for the first 600 megawatts of output of the project. PJM will review the company’s application, with the expectation of a response to occur later this year, according to the release.