Update: nuclear power |
US DoE selects TVA and Holtec as SMR first movers
The US Department of Energy has selected the Tennessee Valley Authority and Holtec Government Services to support early deployments of advanced light water small modular reactors in the United State
Rendering of GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300. (Image: GE Vernova Hitachi)
The two project teams are to each receive up to $400 million in federal cost-shared funding to advance initial projects in Tennessee and Michigan and help expand US nuclear generation capacity while facilitating additional follow-on projects and associated supply chains. The funding aims to help deliver new nuclear generation in the early 2030s, strengthen domestic supply chains, and advance President Trump’s Executive Orders “to usher in a nuclear renaissance and expand America’s energy dominance agenda.”
“President Trump has made clear that America is going to build more energy, not less, and nuclear is central to that mission,” said US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “Advanced light water SMRs will give our nation the reliable, round-the-clock power we need to fuel the President’s manufacturing boom, support data centers and AI growth, and reinforce a stronger, more secure electric grid. These awards ensure we can deploy these reactors as soon as possible.”
The two first-mover teams selected by USDoE to develop and construct the first Gen III+ small modular reactor plants in the United States are as follows:
● Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) TVA plans to advance deployment of a GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 at the Clinch River Nuclear site in Tennessee, as well as accelerate the deployment of additional units with Indiana Michigan Power and Elementl. TVA says it plans to work with
US nuclear supply chain partners Scot Forge, North American Forgemasters, BWX Technologies, and Aecon. Other partners supporting the project include Duke Energy, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, and the Electric Power Research Institute.
● Holtec Government Services Holtec plans to deploy two SMR-300 pressurised water reactors (340 MWe each), Pioneer 1 and 2, at its Palisades nuclear generating station site in Covert, Michigan, demonstrating “viability for additional orders both domestically and abroad.” Holtec is pursuing a one-stop-shop approach to SMR deployment by fulfilling the roles of technology vendor, supply chain vendor, and nuclear plant constructor in partnership with Hyundai Engineering & Construction. It has also talked about taking on the role of plant operator and electricity merchant, selling the power to near-by utilities and end-users. However, in the USA, it now envisages that its SMR-300s will be “operated by a nuclear utility with an existing fleet of nuclear units.” Nevertheless, the company says it plans to maintain the capability to operate SMR-300s, “where absolutely necessary, as a part of our full spectrum service strategy.”
Anticipating continued growth in electricity demand, US DoE has been charged with “adding new, affordable and reliable energy to keep America energy secure.” US DoE believes that small modular reactors offer flexible deployment, proven technology, and the ability
14 | January/February 2026 |
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to leverage existing supply chains, “making them one of the fastest and most scalable pathways to new nuclear capacity.”
The $800 million is part of a March 2025 $900 million solicitation aimed at de-risking the deployment of Gen III+ SMRs, with the remaining $100 million to be awarded to support additional deployments and address key barriers in design, licensing, supply chain, and site readiness.
TVA initiatives
TVA, the USA’s largest public power supplier, is the only utility with a construction permit application accepted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the BWRX-300 SMR technology. This is for the Clinch River site, formerly location of the proposed Clinch River Breeder Reactor project, terminated 1983).
TVA submitted the Clinch River BWRX- 300 construction permit application to the NRC in May 2025, and it is currently under consideration.
Other nuclear projects on TVA’s agenda include Kairos Power’s Hermes 2, employing Gen IV nuclear technology. TVA has signed a power purchase agreement for this planned facility and says it is the first US utility to sign a power purchase agreement for electricity from a Gen IV nuclear reactor.
TVA has also signed a collaboration agreement with an entity called ENTRA1 to explore the development of up to 6 GW of new nuclear power generation capacity across TVA’s seven-state service region using NuScale’s PWR based SMR technology.
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