TVA submits its Clinch River SMR construction permit application

The Tennessee Valley Authority has submitted a construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactor at its Clinch River nuclear site in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Preliminary SMR site preparation could potentially start as early as 2026, TVA said in its Tuesday press release.

“This is a significant milestone for TVA, our region and our nation because we are accelerating the development of new nuclear technology, its supply chain and delivery model to unleash American energy,” TVA CEO Don Moul said in the press release.

In mid-April, TVA sent a letter of intent to the NRC that it intended to submit a construction permit application for a SMR at its Clinch River site by June 2025.

Since the letter, the utility submitted its environmental report for the site on April 28. As of Tuesday, TVA is the first U.S. utility to submit a construction permit application for a BWRX-300 SMR.

The BWRX-300 uses boiling water reactor technology capable of producing 300 megawatts of electricity.

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 to accelerate BWRX-300 development. The utility is also seeking an $8 million DOE grant to support the NRC license review cost, according to the press release.

In 2022, TVA partnered with GE Hitachi to support TVA’s planning and early licensing for a potential deployment of a BWRX-300 SMR at its Clinch River site. By 2023, TVA, Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Synthos Green Energy entered into an international agreement to advance the deployment of BWRX-300 technology.

In Canada, OPG has been issued a construction permit from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and approval from the Province of Ontario to move forward with the deployment of its first BWRX-300 SMR of its Darlington New Nuclear Project.

“TVA has put in the work to advance the design and develop the first application for the BWRX-300 technology, creating a path for other utilities who choose to build the same technology,” Moul said.