US start-up Aternium has completed engineering studies on individual elements of its planned 60MW hydrogen and heavy water production facility in Dover, Delaware, with a full project-wide FEED study due in H1 2027 and off-site modular construction targeted to begin at the same time.

The project aims to establish the first new US commercial source of heavy water since production at the Savannah River Site ended in 1982, with CH-IV, Siemens Energy and Kiewit Engineering Group contributing to the engineering work.

Aternium has completed engineering studies covering the electrolyser configuration and heavy-water production process, along with a preliminary FEED assessment of the overall project. A full project-wide FEED study is expected in the first half of 2027, which is also when the company plans to begin off-site modular construction.

Aternium plans to build key modules off site while site work proceeds in parallel.

Heavy Water and Electrolytic Hydrogen

The facility is designed to produce both electrolytic hydrogen and heavy water. The plant is rated at 60MW, with current engineering projections putting output at around 24 tonnes of hydrogen per day and 15 tonnes of heavy water per year, with operation targeted for 2028.

Heavy water is used in nuclear, semiconductor, pharmaceutical and other specialised applications. Aternium notes that the US has had no new commercial source of heavy water since the Savannah River Site ended production in 1982, though Savannah River holds a substantial legacy stockpile.

The company announced in August that it had chosen Dover as the location for its first commercial plant and signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Garrison Oak Technical Park site, with that transaction expected to close in mid-Q4 2026.

CH-IV served as owner’s engineer, Siemens Energy handled hydrogen-production FEED work, and Kiewit performed pre-FEED on the project.

Source：FuelCellsWorks