Global Nuclear Fuel, a GE Vernova-led alliance with Hitachi Ltd., plans to fabricate a new nuclear fuel product at its Wilmington facility, starting early next year.

Development of the new product, called GNF4, began in 2023 and is a “significant investment” for the company, according to spokesperson Jon Allen. The product aims to provide boiling water reactor (BWR) operators with a more cost-effective use of uranium, according to GNF, a supplier of boiling water reactor fuel and fuel-related engineering services.

“GNF4 is engineered to provide plant operators with lower fuel costs per megawatt hour through increased performance and reliability,” Craig Ranson, president and CEO of GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy, wrote in a news release. “Our engineering and supply chain teams are leveraging their BWR expertise to introduce this next-generation fuel.” 

The new product will be fabricated at GNF’s Wilmington facility, located on a more than 1,500-acre campus at 3901 Castle Hayne Road.

The introduction of the new fuel product has been a “multi-year project that has required several new positions to support, including in engineering, supply chain and manufacturing,” according to Allen. He said the company also plans to invest more than $50 million this year and next year to “enhance safety, quality and productivity in our Wilmington manufacturing operation.”

Procurement activities and manufacturing development for GNF4 are ongoing, with fabrication of the new product expected to start in early 2026, according to Allen. It is contracted for deployment next year, with full reload quantities expected to be available in 2030, according to the release.

According to a GNF, the product features an 11x11 fuel matrix, which increases the heat-generating surface area, allowing more efficient use of uranium. It builds on the operating history of GNF2 and GNF3 products and includes two advanced components licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission – Ziron cladding and aluminosilicate-doped uranium dioxide pellets.

The Ziron cladding was developed to resist corrosion better, leading to reduced hydrogen pickup and ensuring that “fuel remains safe and reliable,” according to the release.

The aluminosilicate-doped uranium dioxide pellets aim to add an extra layer of reliability. The product will also use GNF’s proprietary NSF channel material, an industry-leading solution to channel distortion, and Defender+ debris filter, which has a “historically low debris failure frequency,” according to GNF. 

The company plans to continue developing new products to support the boiling water reactor fleet, according to Allen.

Last year, GNF secured regulatory approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to manufacture and ship fuel with higher enrichment levels, including uranium-235 enrichments up to 8 weight percent.