GE Vernova and Hitachi have signed a memorandum of understanding to pursue BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) deployments in South East Asia, focusing on commercial opportunities through their existing joint ventures GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Hitachi GE Vernova Nuclear Energy.

The cooperation also aims to integrate qualified Japanese suppliers into the SMR supply chain, helping to strengthen manufacturing capacity to support future BWRX-300 deployment in the region.

GE Vernova chief corporate officer Roger Martella said the partnership builds on decades of joint nuclear experience and reflects growing demand for secure and sustainable energy solutions. Hitachi’s vice-president and executive officer, Yasunori Inada, added that the two companies intend to contribute to the region’s energy transition by pairing Hitachi’s operational expertise with GE Vernova’s reactor technology.

Momentum for the BWRX-300 continues globally. The first unit is currently under construction at Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington site in Canada, and is scheduled for completion by the end of the decade as the Western world’s first operational SMR.

The Tennessee Valley Authority has also submitted an application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build a BWRX-300 at its Clinch River site in Tennessee.