A coastal community in eastern Canada could soon host one of the world’s first transportable nuclear power stations.

BWX Technologies confirmed recently that its microreactor design has been chosen for a pilot installation in Belledune, New Brunswick. The project is led by Prodigy Clean Energy in direct partnership with the Pabineau and Eel River Bar First Nations.

The plant will be built on the First Nations’ traditional territory and operated under Indigenous ownership. If approved, the facility could supply clean electricity to the local grid by the early 2030s.

Remote northern towns and heavy industrial sites have traditionally relied on diesel generators for heat and power. Hauling fossil fuels into isolated regions is both costly and emissions-heavy.

Prodigy aims to replace that model with a Transportable Nuclear Power Plant, or TNPP. Instead of pouring concrete for years at a remote location, engineers construct the reactor inside a factory.

The fully assembled modular plant will be transported directly to the destination. Once delivered, on-site installation and fuel commissioning take around 18 months—a fraction of typical nuclear construction timelines.

The Belledune facility is designed for a capacity of up to 50 megawatts of electricity. It will rely on two units of the BWXT Advanced Nuclear Reactor, known as BANR.

“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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