Small modular reactor developers reached several regulatory milestones with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission during the first half of 2026, according to licensing status tracking published by SMR Intel.
NuScale Power remains the only company with a fully certified SMR design. The agency approved the uprated 77 megawatt electric US460 design under a standard design approval issued in May 2025, the second NuScale design to clear that step. Design certification confirms the reactor itself meets NRC requirements and separates the technology review from the site-specific permit a utility must still obtain.
TerraPower holds the most advanced position among new-build applicants. Its 345 MWe Natrium demonstration plant at Kemmerer, Wyoming is under active construction permit review. The NRC completed the environmental review in October 2025 and issued the final safety evaluation in December 2025, with a permit decision expected in the first half of 2026.
The Tennessee Valley Authority moved into formal review as well. The NRC accepted and docketed the utility's construction permit application for a GE Hitachi BWRX-300 at the Clinch River site in Tennessee, which would be among the first SMRs built in the country.
Kairos Power already holds a construction permit for its Hermes test reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. A separate early construction application for a small modular reactor in Idaho has also been accepted for review.
Source: SMR Intel - https://smrintel.com/smr-nrc-approval-tracker/