Tennessee Valley Authority CEO Don Moul said the organization has recently submitted an environmental report to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, as part of its construction permit application for a small modular reactor at the Clinch River site in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Moul was appointed TVA CEO April 9 replacing Jeff Lyash who retired. Moul said during TVA’s second quarter fiscal 2025 financial results meeting that TVA is taking a “stage gate” approach to its Clinch River SMR project.
As the TVA board of directors have allocated collectively $350 million towards the new nuclear program, Moul described the “stage gate” approach as an incremental approach to decision points along the way.
TVA understands first-of-a-kind technology and deployment is expensive, Moul said, adding the organization is ready to work with partners to help commercialize the technology.
“We’re moving as fast as prudently we can,” Moul said during the question and answer portion of the meeting. “This is why we have a rigorous stage gate process.”
Last month, TVA submitted a notification of intent to submit a construction permit application by June 2025 for a BWRX-300 SMR at its Clinch River site. Also on April 23, a coalition led by TVA reapplied for an $800 million grant from the Department of Energy’s Generation III+ SMR Program.
Moul said TVA holds the nation’s first early site permit for an SMR, which would be located in the Clinch River site. Along with its environmental report, TVA has been in preliminary conversations with the NRC about its application to make sure the agency can begin its review, he said.
Moul said TVA hopes to rapidly engage with the NRC to help support deployment of SMRs across the United States.
