Westinghouse wins ARPA-E grant to advance PowerBlock nuclear fuel
What's the deal? WestinghouseDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has been selected for a grant from the US Department of EnergyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-EDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →) to develop PowerBlock, its advanced nuclear fuel technology. The award comes through ARPA-E's High-performance Optimized Recycled Nuclear Isotopes for Gen IV reactors (HORNIG) program, announced on October 29, 2026.
What's the endgame? PowerBlock aims to improve on the traditional nuclear fuel assembly, targeting 24-month fuel cycles at thermal power levels above 4,200 megawatts. It combines new fuel architectures with advanced manufacturing to boost performance and operational flexibility.
Why now? The company frames fuel supply as a key barrier to deploying a new generation of reactors. "As utilities look for new ways to maximize output, extend fuel performance and improve plant economics, innovation in fuel technology has never been more important," said Ben Solich, president of nuclear fuel at Westinghouse.
The grant will fund further development of the technology and generate the technical data needed for future evaluation and deployment, Westinghouse said. The announcement was made at the company's eVinci microreactor accelerator hub in Etna, Pennsylvania — a former pipe-manufacturing site from the region's steelmaking era.
Conner Prochaska of the Department of Energy tied the project to US manufacturing. "Advanced reactors will help meet growing electricity demands across the country and the world, and successful reactor designs won't be able to deliver that without marrying that industrial base, the ingenuity of the American people and the knowhow of companies like Westinghouse," he said.
The signal: Founded in 1886, Westinghouse says its technology powers 57% of the world's nuclear plants and fuels 40% of the global fleet. Federal backing for next-generation fuel reflects rising pressure to scale nuclear energy as electricity demand climbs.
Read more: AP News
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
