ENUSA and GNF commemorate 50 years of technological partnership
Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF), a joint venture led by GE Vernova and Hitachi, and the Spanish state-owned company ENUSA celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first technology transfer agreement, signed in 1974 between ENUSA and the then General Electric Company. The event, held in Madrid, brought together key representatives from European boiling water reactor (BWR) utilities and partners.
ENUSA and GE Vernova and Hitachi — formerly General Electric — recently renewed both the technology transfer agreement and the GENUSA joint venture through December 31, 2030, reaffirming their commitment to continuous improvement and support for the European nuclear industry. According to ENUSA’s Business Director, Mariano Rodríguez Aycart, this collaboration between the two companies, both members of Foro Nuclear, “has proven its strength, its ability to adapt to new sector challenges, and its long-term vision”.
GENUSA continues to operate in a competitive market with multiple suppliers, where technological adaptation and innovation capacity have become key factors
The BWRX-300, a next-generation technology
The anniversary coincides with the global rollout of the BWRX-300 small modular reactor, a design developed by GE Vernova and Hitachi. The BWRX-300 is a boiling water reactor (BWR) with a significantly smaller footprint than conventional models, offering around 300 MWe — enough to power between 200,000 and 300,000 average European households, depending on local consumption. The technology brings advantages such as increased flexibility, lower construction and operating costs, and improved adaptability to current energy demands.
Construction of the first BWRX-300 is advancing in Canada, and the technology has been selected for potential deployment in the United States, Sweden, and Poland. The Polish project, led by Orlen Synthos Green Energy, is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious deployments of this modular reactor in Europe and could redefine the presence of this technology on the continent.
Since the original agreement, ENUSA has integrated BWR technology into its portfolio of nuclear fuel-related products and services, developing in-house capabilities in engineering, manufacturing, and field services. ENUSA’s fuel fabrication facility in Juzbado (Salamanca) delivered its first BWR fuel supply to the Cofrentes Nuclear Power Plant in 1985. Since then, it has delivered over 12,600 fuel assemblies to both domestic and international clients, with its first European export in 1989 to the Leibstadt Nuclear Power Plant in Switzerland.
The updated technology agreement reinforces ENUSA and GNF’s commitment to advancing nuclear energy as a strategic and sustainable source for Europe
The renewal of the technology transfer agreement aims to solidify the role of both companies in this new industrial phase, at a time when nuclear energy is returning to the center of the European energy debate — both for its decarbonization potential and for its strategic role in electricity supply, the companies emphasize.
