ETNA, Pa. —
Westinghouse announced Thursday that it has received federal funding to advance nuclear fuel technology and improve accessibility to affordable and reliable nuclear fuel.
Westinghouse said the funding will support efforts to enhance nuclear fuel performance through its “PowerBlock” technology.
“Advanced reactors will help meet growing electricity demands across the country and the world, and successful reactor designs won’t be able to deliver that without marrying that industrial base, the ingenuity of the American people and the knowhow of companies like Westinghouse,” said Conner Prochaska, of the U.S. Department of Energy.
Westinghouse said the funding will address one of the biggest barriers blocking a new generation of nuclear reactors from coming online: accessibility to affordable and reliable nuclear fuel.
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The announcement was made at Westinghouse’s eVinci microreactor accelerator hub in Etna, Allegheny County.
“This building was part of Pittsburgh’s industrial economy manufacturing pipe during the region’s steelmaking era. Today, Westinghouse is using it to develop manufacturing components for a new generation of nuclear reactors,” Prochaska said. “The connection between industrial experience and new technology is central to what we’re announcing today.”
The funding is being made available through the Energy Department’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).
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