Babcock & Wilcox,the nuclear technology company, moving fast after a promise of help from the Energy Department, said Wednesday that it had lined up a supplier for the towering metal shell for its mPower small modular reactor.

Babcock & Wilcox, which once manufactured full-sized reactors, is now working on a small one, with about one-sixth the output of most new models, that can be built in a factory, shipped to a distant site and put into service on a predictable schedule and budget. (Click here for an enlarged view.)

The Lehigh Heavy Forge Corporation, of Bethlehem, Pa., said it would seek to be accredited as a supplier for nuclear parts, and would expand its plant as Babcock & Wilcox moved forward with its business.

The idea is to build a reactor that can be assembled at a factory and shipped nearly complete on a barge or a rail car, incorporating in one 83-foot-high package components that are usually separate and assembled in the field.

via Another Step to Smaller Reactors – NYTimes.com.