NRC approves construction permit for TVA's 300 MW Clinch River SMR
Review began July 2025 and finished 14 months later, four months ahead of schedule.
Key facts
- TVA needs a separate NRC operating license before loading fuel
- Reactor is a GE Vernova Hitachi boiling-water design
- TVA received an early site permit for Clinch River in 2019
- NRC staff safety evaluation completed in June 2026
- Approval clears way for what NRC calls the first commercial SMR
The NRC approved a construction permit on September 29 for the Tennessee Valley Authority to build a small modular reactor at the Clinch River site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee — which the NRC described as the nation's first commercial small modular reactor.
The review began in July 2025 and the licensing decision came 14 months later, four months ahead of schedule, NRC Chairman Ho K. Nieh said. It is the second reactor approval the agency has issued this year.
NRC staff completed a safety evaluation in June 2026 and found the construction permit application met all regulatory requirements. The agency held a public hearing in Oak Ridge in August as part of its mandatory hearing process.
TVA plans a 300-MW GE Vernova Hitachi boiling-water reactor. Before loading fuel and starting operations, TVA will need a separate operating license from the NRC. TVA received an early site permit for the Clinch River site in 2019.