GE Vernova (NYSE:GEV) said its Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF) alliance has extended a fuel supply agreement with Entergy, ensuring continued deliveries for the Grand Gulf and River Bend nuclear power stations through 2035.
The extension builds on the existing supply contract and includes four reloads using the newly developed GNF4 fuel design. Global Nuclear Fuel, a partnership led by GE Vernova with Hitachi, Ltd., has been providing nuclear fuel to the two plants since 2008.
Under the agreement, lead use assemblies of the GNF4 fuel will be introduced at the River Bend facility in 2027. Full GNF4 reloads are planned for Grand Gulf in 2030 and for River Bend in 2031. The fuel assemblies will be produced at GNF’s manufacturing site in Wilmington, North Carolina.
Launched in October 2025, the GNF4 fuel design incorporates Ziron cladding along with aluminosilicate-doped uranium dioxide pellets. Both technologies have received licensing approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Ziron cladding is engineered to improve corrosion resistance, while the enhanced pellets offer benefits associated with Accident Tolerant Fuel technology.
“We look forward to bringing the economic and performance benefits of GNF4 to Entergy,” said Craig Ranson, CEO of Global Nuclear Fuel and Installed Base CEO at GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy.
Jack Davis, Entergy’s GM of Nuclear Fuels & Integrated Risk Services, said the GNF4 design enables the company to maintain the same power output using less uranium and lower enrichment levels, ultimately reducing costs for customers.
Global Nuclear Fuel supports nuclear power operators with services such as core and fuel cycle engineering, reload licensing, core management and fuel reliability analysis.