The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's new Part 53 licensing framework, a technology-inclusive regulatory pathway designed specifically for advanced reactor designs, became effective on April 29, 2026, a change industry trackers describe as a significant step toward streamlining approvals for small modular reactors. NuScale remains the only SMR developer with full NRC design certification, having received approval for its 50-megawatt power module in 2023 and a standard design approval for an uprated 77-megawatt version in May 2025.
TerraPower's Natrium sodium fast reactor design is currently the most advanced non-light-water SMR entrant working through the NRC construction permit process. The agency completed its environmental review in October 2025 and issued a final safety evaluation in December 2025, with a construction permit decision expected in the first half of 2026. Separately, Kairos Power has received construction permits for two test reactor facilities in Tennessee and has an agreement with Google to enable up to 500 megawatts of nuclear capacity by 2035.
Utility-scale commitments are also building around SMR technology. The Tennessee Valley Authority and ENTRA1 Energy announced an agreement to deploy up to six gigawatts of new nuclear capacity using NuScale's technology, while Oklo broke ground on its Aurora microreactor project at Idaho National Laboratory and signed a deal with Meta for a 1.2-gigawatt power campus in Ohio.
Source: SMR Intel -- https://smrintel.com/state-of-smr-2026/