The U.S. push to commercialize small modular reactors is gaining momentum, with licensing milestones and corporate power agreements moving the technology closer to deployment. NuScale Power remains the only SMR developer with full Nuclear Regulatory Commission design certification, having secured approval for its 77 megawatt US460 module in 2025. In September of that year, NuScale, ENTRA1, and the Tennessee Valley Authority launched a program targeting 6 gigawatts of SMR deployment.
Other developers are close behind. TerraPower and Kairos Power hold the most advanced engagement with regulators. TerraPower secured a construction permit for its Natrium plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming, the first the commission has issued for a commercial non-light-water reactor. Kairos Power is building its Hermes 2 demonstration project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, using molten salt-cooled Generation IV technology, with plans to supply 50 megawatts to the Tennessee Valley Authority system by 2030. A low-power demonstration reactor is scheduled to operate in East Tennessee in 2026.
Technology companies are backing the buildout to secure power for computing. Google signed a corporate SMR power purchase agreement with Kairos Power, and Meta announced arrangements for up to 6.6 gigawatts of nuclear capacity through TerraPower, Oklo, and utility contracts. Oklo broke ground at Idaho National Laboratory.
Industry analysts expect the first wave of new-build U.S. SMRs to reach operation in the 2029 to 2032 window. The single largest constraint remains fuel. Domestic production of high-assay low-enriched uranium continues to lag reactor demand, leaving the supply chain as the key bottleneck for advanced reactor timelines.
Source: SMR Intelligence -- https://smrintel.com/state-of-smr-2026/