Going Nuclear with Justin Huhn and Trevor Hall Blue Energy's Jake Jurewicz on De-Risking New Nuclear Power
Feb 17, 2026
Jake Jurewicz, co-founder and CEO of Blue Energy, leads a company applying offshore prefabrication and financing techniques to make small modular nuclear plants bankable. He discusses prefab modules, balance-of-plant resequencing that starts with gas, modular contract structures to secure debt, site siting constraints for barged modules, and partnerships to unlock turbines and offtake.
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Prefabrication Turns Nuclear Into Bankable Lego Pieces
- Blue Energy aims to enable project financeability by building SMRs using shipyard-style prefabrication and synthetic EPC “lego” contracts to limit on-site work.
- Prefab modules (2,000+ ton) built in fab yards give fixed-price guarantees, higher productivity, and bankable interfaces for 70–80% debt financing.
Fire The Balance Of Plant Early With Gas
- Build the nuclear balance of plant first and run it as a combined-cycle gas plant to generate revenue and reduce first-of-a-kind nuclear risk.
- This ‘balance of plant resequencing’ accelerates COD, avoids stranded assets, and lowers cost of capital for the nuclear portion.
Barge Logistics Define SMR Site Suitability
- Barging large prefabricated SMR modules leverages existing offshore oil and gas logistics and restricts siting to water-accessible brownfield sites.
- That still covers coasts, inland waterways, the Great Lakes, and many former coal/gas/nuclear sites ideal for repowering.