U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Built World

Issuing authority for the permit

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on September 29 granted Tennessee Valley Authority a construction permit for a small modular reactor at its Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. It is the first SMR construction permit issued in the United States, clearing TVA to build a 300-megawatt BWRX-300 designed by GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy.

Updated Sep 29

Built World

Must approve restart license

A shuttered Iowa nuclear plant is getting federal money to come back online. The Department of Energy closed a loan of up to $1.9 billion on September 8 to help NextEra Energy restart the Duane Arnold Energy Center, which a 2020 derecho knocked offline.

Updated Sep 9

Built World

Gatekeeper for every SMR build

A reactor small enough to fit on a flatbed truck started trading on the Nasdaq on Tuesday. Hadron Energy raised about $31 million in the deal, though it hasn't built a reactor yet. It now has to convince regulators, utilities, and AI hyperscalers that its 10-megawatt Halo design can produce power by the end of the decade.

Updated May 26