Nuclear Energy Development Advances in Tennessee with Approval of Historic Small Modular Reactor Permit
Tennessee Today

(Credit: TVA)

Today, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was granted a first-of-its-kind permit to build a small modular reactor. In its review, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) found that TVA met all regulatory requirements, issuing the permit 4 months ahead of schedule.

The small modular reactor (SMR) will be built at the Clinch River site in Roane County, Tennessee. As the first 300-megawatt GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 boiling-water reactor approved in the US, its construction marks an important milestone in the development of nuclear energy for the country.

While creating less energy than a traditional reactor, SMRs are seen as a strong means of expanding nuclear energy capacity as they are able to be assembled more efficiently and can be installed incrementally as energy needs increase.

The construction start date of the SMR has yet to be announced, but the project’s approval marks a historic step in the development of nuclear energy in the US.