Calgary start-up Nucleon Energy and ARC Clean Technology Canada have established NuARC, a partnership focused on the development and deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs). The initial focus is on Alberta, Canada, leveraging ARC’s advanced SMR technology.
ARC has completed Phase 2 of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) Vendor Design Review for its ARC-100 SMR, a 100 MWe integrated sodium-cooled fast reactor with a metallic uranium alloy core. The design draws on the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II), a fast reactor prototype that operated in the US from 1961 to 1994. ARC also collaborates with GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy on SMR development using technology from the PRISM reactor, which is based on the EBR-II.
In May, ARC and Nucleon signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore deploying ARC-100 units at combined heat and power and electricity-only sites in Alberta and Texas. The MOU establishes a framework for a long-term commercial partnership and the potential deployment of multiple reactors across North America.
Nucleon Energy develops integrated clean energy solutions across Canada and the US, focusing on electricity and industrial heat from low-carbon technologies. The partnership will leverage Nucleon’s site locations to support Alberta’s electricity demand, industrial processes, and production of medical isotopes.
“Our partnership with ARC marks a major step forward for private-sector nuclear development,” said Dustin Wilkes, Nucleon CEO. Lance Clarke, ARC Vice President, added: “The ARC-100’s modular design allows streamlined construction, delivering safe, reliable power, industrial heat, and medical isotopes to communities and industries.”
ARC is also collaborating with NB Power to explore deployment at the Point Lepreau site by 2030, though the reactor remains in the design stage. While theoretical studies underpin ARC’s technology, moving a sodium-cooled fast reactor from design to deployment within five years remains a significant challenge, as historical examples show development often takes decades.
