The Tennessee Valley Authority, the country’s largest public power supplier, has been selected for a $400 million grant from the US Department of Energy to accelerate deployment of the nation’s first Generation III+ Small Modular Reactor at TVA’s Clinch River nuclear site in East Tennessee. The grant is part of TVA’s broader initiative aimed at strengthening the USA’s domestic nuclear industry and is expected to advance the SMR project, targeting commercial operation in the early 2030s and demonstrating how advanced nuclear power can deliver reliable and affordable energy at scale.
Don Moul, TVA CEO, commented. “With DOE’s support and the strength of our partners, we’re accelerating the deployment of next-generation nuclear – reducing financial risk to consumers and strengthening US energy security.
“TVA is the first utility in the U.S. to have a construction permit application for a BWRX-300 SMR accepted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Clinch River project will serve as a national model for how to deploy SMRs safely, efficiently, and affordably”.
TVA is positioning itself to train a new generation of nuclear professionals, establish a replicable framework for SMR deployment across the USA and stimulate US manufacturing of critical nuclear components.
The DOE grant, established by Congress in 2024, is designed to strengthen America’s domestic nuclear industry and catalyse the deployment of SMRs, compact nuclear reactors that can be built faster and integrated more easily into diverse energy systems TVA applied for the grant with a coalition of partners in April 2025. As the lead applicant, TVA and DOE will now enter further discussion around project milestones and co-applicant awards.
