The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently accepted a construction permit application for review from the Tennessee Valley Authority to build one of the nation’s first small modular reactors.
TVA is the first utility applying to build GE Vernova Hitachi’s BWRX-300 design in the United States and could pave the way for other utilities looking to deploy the same technology, the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy said on July 10.
TVA submitted its application to the NRC in late May to build the advanced nuclear plant at its Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
The utility already secured the nation’s first and only early site permit for an SMR with support from the U.S. Department of Energy to clear the environmental review process.
The next step is a full safety review of the reactor design before it is cleared for construction.
“This is an exciting step to bringing the nation’s first utility-led SMR online,” said TVA President and CEO Don Moul. “As the first utility in the United States to have a construction permit application under review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the BWRX-300 reactor, this will create a path for other utilities to deploy the reactor — ensuring energy security and reliable electricity for all.”
The BWRX-300 is the only boiling water SMR design under development in the United States.
The 300-megawatt-electric advanced light water system is a smaller, simplified version of GE Vernova Hitachi’s licensed Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor and will leverage established supply chains that could accelerate its deployment.
In 2023, TVA joined a global collaboration with Ontario Power Generation to expedite technology development of the SMR for use in the United States and Canada.
Four BWRX-300 reactors were recently cleared for construction in Clarington, Ontario, with commercial operation expected by the end of 2029.
TVA anticipates preliminary site preparation work could begin as early as next year while the NRC reviews the company’s construction permit application.
