Penn State and Westinghouse have been working on an eVinci-focused research and development collaboration for nearly three years after signing a memorandum of understanding in May 2022. That agreement has grown into a Penn State research initiative called FRONTIER (Forging a Renaissance of Nuclear Through Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Research).
New FRONTIER: “Today, the university announced its intent to make Westinghouse’s eVinci microreactor a research priority,” said Andrew Read, senior vice president for research at Penn State. “We believe this technology has the potential to change how we think of and use nuclear energy. And with Pennsylvania’s and Penn State’s rich history in nuclear research, FRONTIER is the team to lead this endeavor.”
“We intend to advance and develop the skilled workforce needed in all areas, including engineering, construction, AI, operations, project management, licensing, safety, security, supply chain, and many more,” said Tonya L. Peeples, Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering at Penn State.
Westinghouse anticipates supplying a reactor capable of operating “like a nuclear battery providing consistent power for over 8 years without refueling,” offering “a reliable and safe solution for powering the university’s research facilities and buildings across campus.”
Pennsylvania neighbors: It’s not much of a stretch to say Penn State and Westinghouse—separated by less than 150 miles—are neighbors. Penn State’s University Park campus is located in central Pennsylvania, while Westinghouse is headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pa., and its eVinci Technologies business unit operates an eVinci Technology Hub in Etna, Pa., near downtown Pittsburgh.
“Penn State’s new University Park research facility will further solidify Pennsylvania as one of the world’s leading nuclear innovation hubs,” said Jon Ball, president of eVinci technologies at Westinghouse. “We look forward to bringing our advanced eVinci technology to the FRONTIER program to find new ways of harnessing nuclear energy while providing students and researchers with unprecedented opportunities.”
Westinghouse progress: Westinghouse received a cost-shared risk reduction award from the Department of Energy through the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, announced in December 2020. The company first engaged in preapplication activities with the NRC for eVinci in December 2021.
Westinghouse has completed the front-end engineering and experiment design (FEEED) for a prototype microreactor demonstration at Idaho National Laboratory, and that progress was certified by the DOE in September 2024. A one-fifth scale version of eVinci could be tested at the National Reactor Innovation Center’s (NRIC) DOME test bed “as early as 2026,” the DOE said.
