Small modular reactor developers are moving through the federal licensing pipeline, with the first wave of new-build U.S. units expected to reach operation in the 2029 to 2032 window. The progress marks a turning point for a technology long stuck in design and review.
NuScale Power remains the only SMR with full Nuclear Regulatory Commission design certification. The agency approved NuScale's 462-megawatt small modular reactor power plant design on May 29, 2025, completing its technical review in less than two years, ahead of schedule and under budget.
Other designs are advancing through construction review. TerraPower's Natrium is the most advanced new-build in NRC review, with a construction permit application under active consideration for a 345-megawatt demonstration plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming. The project had targeted 2028, but scarcity of high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel has pushed its schedule toward 2030 or later. X-energy's Xe-100 is proceeding through a Department of Energy demonstration program, and the NRC agreed to target an 18-month review for its construction permit, potentially by late 2026.
Early pilot milestones are emerging. Antares Nuclear's Mark-0 reactor became the first small modular reactor in its pilot program to reach criticality, and the company expects to produce electricity from its advanced reactors in 2027.
The NRC chairman has said a small modular reactor could be operational in the United States by 2030. The GE Vernova BWRX-300 at Darlington in Ontario stands among the closest Western SMR projects to commercial operation, with a licensed construction site and a 2029 target.
Source: ANS Nuclear Newswire - https://www.ans.org/news/article-6073/nrc-accepts-terrapowers-smr-construction-permit/