The U.S. Department of Energy awarded $94 million across eight American companies to accelerate the development and licensing of small modular reactor technology, with grants targeting site permitting, engineering development, and regulatory approval processes at proposed locations across multiple states.
The awards included a $27.86 million grant to Nebraska Public Power District for an early site permit, $21.42 million to BWX Technologies for a project in Indiana, and $17.26 million to Constellation Energy for an early site permit in New York. Scot Forge received $12.27 million for a project in Illinois, Framatome was awarded $8.8 million for work in Washington state, and GNF Americas received $3 million for a site in North Carolina.
Small modular reactors are designed to produce electricity in units of roughly 50 to 300 megawatts per module, compared to the 1,000-plus megawatts typical of conventional large-scale nuclear plants. Proponents argue that SMRs can be factory-built to reduce on-site construction risks and that multiple modules can be combined to scale output based on demand.
No commercial small modular reactor has yet completed construction in the United States, and the DOE awards are intended to advance the pre-construction regulatory work that has historically represented the longest phase of nuclear project development.
The investment reflects the federal government's view that SMR technology offers a viable path to expanding carbon-free baseload electricity generation, particularly as data center operators and utilities seek reliable power sources that can operate independent of weather conditions.
Source: Energy Connects -- https://www.energyconnects.com/news/utilities/2026/may/us-doe-awards-94m-to-eight-american-companies-to-speed-up-smr-implementation/