Westinghouse Electric Company announced Oct. 29 that the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy selected it for HORNIG program funding to continue developing PowerBlock, an advanced nuclear fuel technology. The company said PowerBlock is designed for 24-month fuel cycles at thermal power levels above 4,200 megawatts.
What it means
The project will draw on Westinghouse’s nuclear-fuel and manufacturing capabilities. PowerBlock combines new fuel configurations with advanced manufacturing methods, and the award is intended to generate technical data for later evaluation and deployment opportunities.
Key facts
- Announcement date: Oct. 29, 2026.
- Funding agency: U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E.
- Program: High-performance Optimized Recycled Nuclear Isotopes for Gen IV reactors, or HORNIG.
- Targeted fuel cycle: 24 months.
- Targeted thermal power level: above 4,200 megawatts.
- Ben Solich is president of Nuclear Fuel at Westinghouse.
Source: Westinghouse Electric Company announcement