Babcock & Wilcox Nuclear Energy (B&W NE) and Bechtel Power Corporation have joined forces to develop the world’s first commercially viable Generation III++ small modular nuclear power plant.

The partners will design, licence and deploy the new plant based on B&W mPower small modular reactor (SMR) technology.

B&W will design and test the nuclear steam supply system (NSSS) and the nuclear island including the design certification application development and submission, and NSSS production.

The first plant is expected to come onstream as early as 2020 depending on regulatory approval and other factors.

The new alliance will be known as Generation mPower.