The Nuclear Regulatory Commission convened a mandatory uncontested hearing on August 13 for the Tennessee Valley Authority's construction permit application at the Clinch River Nuclear Site in Roane County, Tennessee. The session began at 5:30 p.m. at the Pollard Technology Conference Center on Badger Avenue in Oak Ridge, according to the agency's notice published in the Federal Register.
TVA is seeking permission to build a single BWRX-300 unit designated Clinch River Nuclear Unit 1. The design, developed by GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy, carries a nominal electrical output of 300 megawatts and a thermal rating of 870 megawatts. TVA is the first US utility to apply to build the BWRX-300 domestically, having submitted its application in 2025.
NRC staff concluded that the preliminary design and analysis TVA supplied meet the requirements for issuance of a construction permit, publishing a safety evaluation report in June 2026 that formally recommended approval. The agency continued accepting public comment on the application through August 27. Final authority to issue the permit rests with the NRC commissioners rather than staff.
The Clinch River site sits near Oak Ridge in East Tennessee, inside TVA's seven state service territory. A construction permit would authorize physical work to begin, with a separate operating license required before the unit could produce power for the grid. The project has advanced through the licensing process on a schedule that ran ahead of the original December target date the agency set for concluding its review.
Source: Federal Register - https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/07/2026-13662/tennessee-valley-authority-clinch-river-nuclear-site-unit-1-notice-of-hearing