The Tennessee Valley Authority has submitted a permit application with federal regulators to build the nation’s first small modular nuclear reactor at the utility’s Clinch River site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
TVA is the nation’s largest public utility, providing electricity to seven states, including Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia and Mississippi. It currently operates three traditional large nuclear power plants that provide around 40% of the Tennessee Valley’s power, though TVA President and CEO Don Moul believes the small reactors offer many beneficial advancements.
“They’re designed to be walk-away safe, 50-plus years of operating experience built into them. And the idea of this type of a design is to make it small enough so that it’s easily manufacturable,” Moul said.
The Clinch River site has the capacity to house four of the small reactors, providing 300 megawatts of power, which is roughly enough energy to support 175,000 homes.
By 2035, the utility expects to need up to 26 gigawatts of power, the equivalent of powering 15 million homes to replace retiring power plants.
The new reactor’s size makes it ideal to convert outdated coal plants to nuclear, and Moul says that nuclear power is the most effective means of replacing that lost power.
“Energy security is national security. There is no more secure fuel source, in my opinion, than nuclear. It’s highly reliable, it’s highly resilient, and from all of the other environmental attributes, it gives us one of the highest quality generation sources in our system,” Moul said.
The announcement comes less than a month after Moul suggested that TVA may extend the existing lifespan of its coal plants.
Moul said that by being the first to apply for the permit, he hopes that TVA will pave the way for a global shift toward nuclear energy.
“This is really about economic development and building that ecosystem and infrastructure. And it isn't just limited to the local area, it can then be used to fuel the builds across the country and across the world,” Moul said.
Next-generation nuclear energy
In a news release, TVA representatives said the utility is pursuing the BWRX-300 technology from GE. According to GE, that model has a roughly 60-year life cycle and features a compact design that can be easily replicated in many landscapes.
According to AP, electric utilities have been slow to invest in nuclear construction, citing large cost overruns and extensive delays as Georgia Power Co.’s Plant Vogtle expanded its nuclear operation.
While this project has the potential to be the first next-generation reactor in the U.S., a project to build the first was terminated in 2023 due to rising costs and a lack of local interest from power providers.
TVA has applied for an $800-million grant from the U.S. Dept. of Energy, as well as an $8-million grant from the same department to support license review costs.
They say they have also completed the necessary environmental report for the Clinch River site.
If funding is secured, and necessary permits are approved, site preparation at the Oak Ridge location could begin as soon as 2026.
