TVA leads $800m SMR initiative to expedite Clinch River nuclear project

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) will lead an $800 million application to the US Department of Energy’s Generation III+ small modular reactor (SMR) program. 

The initiative, supported by Bechtel, BWX Technologies, and Duke Energy, aims to accelerate the construction of an SMR at TVA’s Clinch River project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

If successful, the funding will reduce the project’s timeline by two years, with a target for commercial operation by 2033. TVA plans to use this opportunity to establish a domestic supply chain and support future advanced nuclear deployments across the US and internationally.

TVA’s board has yet to approve the SMR at the Clinch River site, and should approval be granted, the DOE funding will expedite the early stages of the project.