Permit IssuedSMR (LWR)
Project website →Clinch River SMR (TVA)
📍 Oak Ridge, TN (Anderson County Co.)Developer: Tennessee Valley AuthorityVendor / Tech: GE Vernova Hitachi
Capacity
300 MW
Expected Operation
2033
Reactor Type
BWRX-300 (Small BWR)
Regulatory Status
NRC construction permit CPAR-2 issued 2026-09-28 (effective immediately); no construction start date announced; TVA still negotiating cost sharing with industry partners
Details
Primary Use
Power generation - grid supply
Grid Connection
TVA grid
Fuel Type
LEU
Construction Start
2028
Research detail · verified 2026-10-10
Stage
Construction permit issued
Commercial power
Yes
NRC docket
50-615 (pre-docketing project no. 99902056)
Stated target operation
Commercial operation planned for 2033 if DOE grant awarded (TVA CEO Jeff Lyash, 2025-01-20); 'early 2030s' (TVA, per APPA 2025-12-02)
Key dates
2019 early site permit issued for Clinch River site; 2025-04-25 and 2025-05-20 CP application submitted in two parts; 2025-07-11 NRC accepted/docketed application; 2025-12-02 DOE selected TVA for $400M Gen III+ SMR award; 2026-04-06 final supplemental EIS published; 2026-06 NRC safety evaluation completed ahead of schedule; 2026-08-13 NRC mandatory hearing in Oak Ridge; 2026-09-28 construction permit CPAR-2 issued; 2026-10-05 Federal Register notice of issuance
Workforce
DOE award partners named include Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) and EPRI; supply-chain partners BWX Technologies, Scot Forge, North American Forgemasters, Aecon; EPC team Bechtel, Sargent & Lundy, GE Vernova Hitachi (per Neutron Bytes). Neutron Bytes reports a plan to train reactor operators for the three BWRX-300 customers (TVA, OPG, Synthos) in a single program at a single digital-twin simulator site. Context only (not an announced TVA project partnership): Roane State Community College's Oak Ridge campus runs a 15-credit radiation technician/welding program (NACo, 2025-08-21).
Not verified / conflicts
Issue date conflict: NRC letter and Federal Register say CPAR-2 issued 2026-09-28; TVA/NRC/GE Vernova announced it 2026-09-29; World Nuclear News dates it 2026-09-30. Target operation not recorded: Neutron Bytes (2026-09-30) reports 2032 'stated by TVA', while earlier reporting cited 2033; no TVA primary statement opened. Neutron Bytes says up to 4 units planned at the site but the permit covers Unit 1 only. No TVA-stated construction or operations job numbers found. tva.com press release not opened. Merge note: TVA CEO Jeff Lyash said 2033 commercial operation if DOE grant awarded (Roane Alliance 2025-01-20); TVA said 'early 2030s' (APPA 2025-12-02); Neutron Bytes reported 2032.
Sources
- https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2624/ML26245A450.pdf
- https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/10/05/2026-20345/tennessee-valley-authority-clinch-river-nuclear-unit-1-construction-permit-and-record-of-decision
- https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2025-06-10/html/2025-10465.htm
- https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/07/15/2025-13174/tennessee-valley-authority-clinch-river-nuclear-site-unit-1-construction-permit-application
- https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/clinch-river-application-accepted-for-review
- https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/04/06/2026-06571/tennessee-valley-authority-clinch-river-nuclear-site-unit-1-final-supplemental-environmental-impact
- https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/07/2026-13662/tennessee-valley-authority-clinch-river-nuclear-site-unit-1-notice-of-hearing
- https://ans.org/news/2026-07-01/article-8174/clinch-river-construction-permit-recommendation-follows-safety-evaluation
- https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/news-releases/2026/26-079
- https://www.gevernova.com/news/press-releases/nrc-issues-first-us-construction-permit-bwrx-300-small-modular-reactor-tva-clinch-river
- https://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/first-construction-permit-issued-for-bwrx300-smr-in-us
- https://neutronbytes.com/2026/09/30/nrc-construction-permit-to-tva-for-bwrx-300/
- https://www.ans.org/news/2025-12-03/article-7593/doe-selects-tva-and-holtec-for-smr-awards/
- https://www.power-eng.com/news/doe-taps-tva-holtec-for-800m-in-early-smr-deployment-funding/
- https://www.naco.org/news/eastern-tennessee-counties-collaborate-nuclear-energy-ambitions
- https://roanealliance.org/news/143/tva-state-and-industry-leaders-unite-to-accelerate-smr-deployment
- https://www.publicpower.org/periodical/article/holtec-receives-doe-funding-accelerate-smr-deployment-michigan-site
About
First BWRX-300 CPA accepted by NRC in the US. Integrated delivery model (IDM) with Bechtel, Sargent & Lundy, and GE-Hitachi — mirrors OPG Darlington project, targeting cost reduction via shared learning across sites. Clinch River ESP provides ready seismic/environmental characterization. TVA coalition (Indiana Michigan Power, Elementl) for future units. DOE Gen III+ awardee $400M. Potential US-Japan trade deal (up to $40B across TN + AL TVA projects; TBD).
Key Organizations
Developer
Tennessee Valley Authority
EPC Contractor
Bechtel (EPC), Sargent & Lundy (engineering)
Power Purchase Agreements3 PPAs
Indiana Michigan Power
announcedPart of TVA BWRX-300 coalition for future units beyond Clinch River Unit 1.
Elementl
announcedPart of TVA BWRX-300 coalition for future units beyond Clinch River Unit 1.
Tennessee Valley Authority
announcedTVA regulated utility customers. Rate-based offtake approved through TVA public power structure.
Federal Funding
DOE
Gen III+ SMR Program · Grant
$400M under DOE Generation III+ SMR Program
$400M
awarded
DOE
US-Japan Trade Deal · Loan
Up to $40B across TVA TN + AL BWRX-300 projects combined; project-level split TBD
—
conditional_commitment
State Policy Context
View nuclear-related legislation and energy stats for Tennessee