Joint venture selected to deliver Cascade SMR facility

The public power agency said it is in negotiations with the Cascade Nuclear Partners joint venture to collaboratively complete the planning, design, and construction of the first four out of 12 Xe-100 advanced small modular reactors (SMRs) under a progressive design-build (PDB) model. This development phase will help define the project's scope, schedule, and cost parameters before advancing to full execution, it said.

It was just a year ago - in October 2024 - that Energy Northwest announced a multi-year agreement with Amazon focused on comprehensive environmental, safety, permitting, licensing and risk analyses for the SMR project, with Amazon to fund the initial feasibility phase for a plant to be sited near Energy Northwest's Columbia Generating Station nuclear energy facility in Richland after which it expects to submit a construction permit application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Construction is anticipated to begin by the end of the decade, with operations targeted for the 2030s.

Earlier this month, the name of the new facility was announced and Amazon released a series of images of how its planned X-energy small modular reactor plant is expected to look. It will feature X-energy's Xe-100, a Generation IV advanced high temperature gas-cooled reactor design using tri-structural isotropic - or TRISO - particle fuel.

Energy Northwest CEO Bob Schuetz said the selection of Cascade Nuclear Partners is a "strategic milestone" which reflects the continued momentum for the project. "Their specialised knowledge in nuclear construction, collaborative approach, and strong alignment with Energy Northwest's values gives us confidence in their ability to help deliver this critical project successfully," he said.