Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF) announced Tuesday that the company has been awarded a more than $250 million long-term contract with Entergy Nuclear, GNF's first customer to take delivery of GNF3 in reload quantities.

The new fuel supply contract runs from 2019 to 2031 and includes 10 reloads of GNF3, a fuel assembly that officials with the company say is designed to offer customers improved fuel cycle economics and increased performance and flexibility in operation and to further improve upon the reliability of GNF’s previous product lines.

GNF3 is fabricated with GNF’s technology at the company’s facility in Wilmington. The company is a supplier of boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel and fuel-related engineering services.

GNF is a GE-led joint venture with Hitachi Ltd. and operates primarily through Global Nuclear Fuel-Americas LLC in Wilmington, and Global Nuclear Fuel-Japan Co. Ltd. in Kurihama, Japan.

"Entergy and GNF have a long successful history of working together, but it is the opportunity to support the Entergy Nuclear fleet’s bright future that makes us excited about this new agreement," said Amir Vexler, CEO of GNF, in a news release. "With this extended period of fuel reloads, we are pleased to be in a position to continue our long-standing relationship with our valued customer by fueling their BWRs for the next decade with GNF3, our newest, most advanced fuel product."

GNF3 lead use assemblies have been operating in several U.S. nuclear power plants, including four lead use assemblies in Entergy’s River Bend Nuclear Station in St. Francisville, Louisiana, since 2015.

“We are pleased to continue our partnership with Global Nuclear Fuel to receive fuel for our nuclear reactors,” John Elnitsky, senior vice president of engineering and technical services for Entergy Nuclear, said in the release. “Being able to use one of the newest, most advanced fuel products on the market fits well with our strategies for achieving excellence in fuel reliability and gaining efficiencies for our customers.”   

In 2019, Entergy’s River Bend nuclear facility will become the first plant that will install GNF3 in reload quantities, the release stated. GNF3 will be installed in reload quantities at Grand Gulf Nuclear Station in Port Gibson, Mississippi, in 2020, officials said in the release.

GNF has fueled Entergy’s Grand Gulf and River Bend reactors continuously since 2008.