US Navy awards $2.1 billion deals for nuclear reactor components

US-based company BWX Technologies (BWXT) has been awarded US Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program contracts totaling approximately $2.1 billion for the manufacture of nuclear reactor components.

Naval nuclear reactor component manufacturing and material procurement activities for Columbia and Virginia class submarines, as well as Ford-class aircraft carriers, will be performed at BWXT’s locations in Lynchburg, Virginia; Barberton and Euclid, Ohio; and Mount Vernon, Indiana.

The contracts will last over an approximately seven-year period that began in 2023.

In addition to these contracts, the company received contract for the production and delivery of fuel and support activities for the US Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, which is performed by Nuclear Fuel Services in Tennessee.

This fuel contract, valued at approximately $300 million, was previously awarded and announced in October 2023, with work scheduled for completion this year.

The reactors for submarines being developed and built today are designed to last for the life of the ship, and reactors for aircraft carriers are designed to be refueled only once during the life of the ship. 

“For more than 70 years, BWXT has proudly supported the U.S. Navy’s mission to defend freedom and uphold security across the globe,” said Gary D. Camper, BWXT Nuclear Operations Group, president.

“These contracts represent not just our unmatched expertise in naval nuclear power but also our dedication to empowering the Navy with the tools needed to ensure the seas remain free and open.”