The Tennessee Valley Authority is moving forward with their plan increase power generation, and they are now the first utility in the United States to submit a construction permit application for a small modular reactor.
The GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy small modular reactor, or SMR, will be built at the TVA’s Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee—if the application is approved by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This is the next step in the process for the TVA in their drive to establish even more dependable energy in the region.
TVA President and CEO Don Moul answered the question what exactly an SMR is, saying they are smaller reactors that are designed to be safer, and come together quickly.
Moul says it’s the TVA’s goal to bring energy security to the nation as a whole, and nuclear energy is a dependable, efficient way to do that.
The TVA is leading the charge, head of a strong coalition of industry partners that have submitted an application for an $800 million U.S. Department of Energy grant to accelerate the development of the technology.
Preliminary SMR site preparation could begin as soon as 2026.