Miles Jamison 
- BWXT will manufacture TRISO fuel at its Lynchburg, Virginia, facility
- Antares’ Mark-1 electricity-producing reactor is slated for 2027
- Subsequent task orders will establish fuel delivery volumes, schedules and technical specifications
BWX Technologies‘ advanced fuels subsidiary has partnered with Antares Nuclear to manufacture tri-structural isotropic, or TRISO, nuclear fuel on the same production line used for the Department of War’s Project Pele and Antares Nuclear’s Mark-0 and Mark-1 reactors.
BWXT said Tuesday the deal sets an initial allocation of one metric ton of uranium, with additional quantities possible as Antares’ deployment needs evolve. Production will take place at BWXT’s Lynchburg, Virginia, facility.
How Will BWXT Support Antares’ Reactor Program?
The deal draws on an existing business relationship between the companies and comes as Antares prepares to move beyond reactor demonstrations toward producing its reactors for deployment. BWXT-manufactured fuel helped Antares achieve criticality with its Mark-0 reactor on June 4 at Idaho National Laboratory, or INL, under the Department of Energy’s reactor testing initiative. BWXT also processed the high-assay low-enriched uranium feedstock used to produce Antares’ TRISO fuel sourced from National Nuclear Security Administration scrap materials.
Antares CEO and co-founder Jordan Bramble said the fuel will also power the company’s Mark-1 electricity-producing reactor, which is slated for 2027.
“Securing that same line through the end of the decade means our first production deployments run on fuel from a team and a process we’ve already proven,” Bramble said.
Antares and BWXT will use subsequent task orders to establish the volume of each fuel delivery, its timing and the applicable technical specifications.
How Does the Agreement Build on BWXT’s TRISO Experience?
Joe Miller, president of government operations at BWXT, said the company has refined its processes for high-performance TRISO fuel and is prepared to scale as demand from advanced reactor developers grows.
“BWXT’s decades of experience in advanced fuel manufacturing give us the foundation to support Antares as they accelerate toward commercial deployment,” said Miller.
BWXT delivered a full core of TRISO fuel for Project Pele, a 1.5-megawatt transportable microreactor, to INL in December 2025. The project team plans to begin formal testing of the prototype as early as 2027.
