The Richland fuel production facility of an international nuclear company has racked up more work as next generation nuclear energy ventures continue to gain steam. 

France-based Framatome and NuScale Power Corp., based in Corvallis, Oregon, have expanded their existing partnership to include Framatome’s European facilities for fuel fabrication in Europe and notified the Richland facility to fabricate fuel for NuScale’s SMR fuel technology in the next five years, according to a release. 

Framatome was already selected to manufacture fuel assemblies for NuScale’s U.S.-based SMR clients in 2015. Now the fuel producer has been issued notice to prepare the Richland production facility to manufacture and deliver as many as 444 fuel assemblies of NuFUEL-HTP2 fuel for delivery as soon as 2030. 

“This newest agreement will allow us to continue to meet our critical supply chain and manufacturing milestones to fulfill project timelines and prepare to deploy our groundbreaking technology,” said Carl Fisher, chief operating officer at NuScale Power, in a statement. 

The Richland plant is expected to be busy for years to come. This past year it reached a deal with Standard Nuclear to produce its TRISO fuel, a form of high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, fuel. The facility is already pursuing a modification of its license with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to handle fuel with higher uranium content. 

It also recently expanded its fuel array storage capacity and was awarded a contract from Energy Northwest to make upgrades to the nuclear-powered Columbia Generating Station north of Richland.