BWXT subsidiary wins $174M naval contract

BWX Technologies, a Lynchburg-based manufacturer of nuclear components and fuel, announced Thursday that one of its subsidiaries has been awarded a $174 million contract from the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program to manufacture naval nuclear reactor fuel.

The contract was awarded on Sept. 10. Through the agreement, BWXT subsidiary Nuclear Fuel Services, based in Erwin, Tennessee, will manufacture and deliver fuel for the program, which is a joint Navy–Department of Energy effort responsible for the design, construction, operation and oversight of the nuclear reactors that power the U.S. Navy submarines and aircraft carriers.

The NFS facility processes highly enriched uranium to manufacture fuel for naval nuclear reactors. BWXT said that the site has been involved in the manufacture of nuclear fuel for the U.S. Navy for over 60 years.

BWXT said its fuel and reactors power the U.S. Navy’s Ohio-, Virginia-, Seawolf-, Los Angeles- and Columbia-class submarines, as well as the Nimitz and Ford class aircraft carriers.

Work is underway on the contract, which is expected to be completed in summer 2026.

“The U.S. Navy recently celebrated its 250th anniversary, and BWXT is proud to be powering our world-class fleet right now and into the future,” said Gary Camper, president for BWXT’s nuclear operations group, in a statement. “The team at NFS demonstrates the level of quality and commitment needed each day to fuel the Navy’s global mission of maintaining freedom and security.”

In July, the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program awarded BWXT contracts totaling approximately $2.6 billion for the manufacture of naval nuclear reactor components. That award was in addition to the $2.1 billion in contracts that the program awarded to BWXT in February for nuclear reactor component manufacturing and material procurement for Columbia- and Virginia-class submarines, as well as Ford-class aircraft carriers.

A Fortune 1000 company, BWXT manufactures and supplies nuclear components and fuel. It has nearly 10,000 employees across 20 major operating sites in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.