BANR
BANR is a helium-cooled reactor design from BWX Technologies rated at 17 MWe. The developer is engaging a regulator but has not submitted an application. It requires HALEU fuel.
BWXT would need to file an application. It is better positioned than most on fuel — it already handles category 1 special nuclear material at Erwin and has selected a TRISO site at Gillette, Wyoming — but neither the reactor licence nor the fuel plant exists yet.
A transportable microreactor from the company that supplies US naval reactors, which is an unusually strong industrial base for a developer at this tier.
| Tier | Pre-application |
|---|---|
| Regulator | US NRC |
| Application type | Pre-application engagement |
| Docket / reference | NRC pre-application engagement, BWXT Advanced Nuclear Reactor |
| Application date | — |
| Review phase | Pre-application |
| Decision expected | not stated |
| Coolant | Helium |
|---|---|
| Reactor family | High-temperature gas reactor (HTGR) |
| Electrical output | 17MWe |
| Thermal output | not disclosed |
| Fuel | TRISO |
| Enrichment | HALEU |
| First site | none announced |
| Offtakers | none announced |
This design needs HALEU — uranium enriched above 5% and below 20%. That is not the fuel any commercial Western power reactor uses today, and it is the single most common reason an advanced reactor timeline slips. Every Western facility that can make it or turn it into fuel:
| Facility | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|
| TRISO-X Fuel Facility (TX-1), Oak Ridge | not disclosed | construction |
| American Centrifuge Plant, Piketon | 900kg HALEU/yr | operating |
| Nuclear Fuel Services, Erwin | not disclosed | operating |
| Savannah River Site HEU downblending | 3,100kg HALEU total | operating |
| BWXT TRISO facility, Gillette | not disclosed | planned |
| Urenco Capenhurst HALEU line | not disclosed | planned |
Units announced with this design
8 units in the Global Nuclear Power Tracker carry the model name "BANR" — 8announced. Announcement is not permission; compare this against the regulatory position above.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green River nuclear power plant 1 | United States | announced | 5 |
| Green River nuclear power plant 2 | United States | announced | 5 |
| Green River nuclear power plant 3 | United States | announced | 5 |
| Green River nuclear power plant 4 | United States | announced | 5 |
| Green River nuclear power plant 5 | United States | announced | 5 |
| Green River nuclear power plant 6 | United States | announced | 5 |
| Green River nuclear power plant 7 | United States | announced | 5 |
| Green River nuclear power plant 8 | United States | announced | 5 |
Sources
- BWX Technologies · retrieved 2026-09-06
- Announced units: Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release — CC BY 4.0