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January 20, 2025 | Tom Ballard

TVA, partners apply for $800 million grant for first Small Modular Reactor

The funding would accelerate the timeline to construct the facility on the Clinch River site, pending approval by the TVA Board.

It was widely rumored that the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) would apply for hundreds of millions of dollars from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to build a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) at the Clinch River site, and the nation’s largest public power supplier announced on Friday that it was doing so.

TVA is leading an application for $800 million from the DOE’s Generation III+ Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Program with a strong coalition of partners, including Bechtel, BWX Technologies (BWXT), Duke Energy, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), Indiana Michigan Power – an AEP Company, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Sargent & Lundy, Scot Forge and North American Forgemasters, the State of Tennessee and other utilities and advanced nuclear project developers.

In 2024, Congress appropriated grant funding to spur the first Gen III+ SMR deployments in the U.S., which will strengthen America’s domestic nuclear industry and help meet the growing demand for affordable, reliable, and clean power.

“We believe advanced nuclear technologies will play a critical role in our region and nation’s drive towards greater energy security,” said Jeff Lyash, TVA President and Chief Executive Officer. “Enabling and accelerating this technology will take innovation and partnership, as well as discipline and hard work. Nuclear is the most reliable and efficient energy the world has ever known, and TVA is uniquely positioned to help drive this forward. We are committed to working with partners and this grant would expedite our work as we invest in America’s nuclear future.”

If awarded, Lyash said the funding will accelerate construction of an SMR at TVA’s Clinch River site by two years – with commercial operation planned for 2033. He noted that by working with these partners, TVA is ensuring this funding paves the way for deployment of not just the first SMR at Clinch River but also to help establish a domestic supply chain and support future deployments of advanced nuclear units in the U.S. and beyond.

TVA’s Board has not voted to approve an SMR at the nuclear site. Should the Board approve an SMR, the availability of DOE funding would help accelerate the early activities of the project.



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