Small modular reactor development reached several milestones heading into 2026, with multiple US designs advancing through licensing and early construction. NuScale Power remains the only SMR developer to have received design approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, initially for a 50 megawatt module and subsequently for an uprated 77 megawatt design. Its commercialization partner reached a nonbinding agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority to deploy up to 6 gigawatts of NuScale capacity across the utility multi-state service region.
TerraPower advanced its Natrium reactor, a liquid-sodium-cooled design capable of supplying up to 500 megawatts, beginning non-nuclear construction at a retiring coal site in Kemmerer, Wyoming. The commission completed its environmental review in late 2025 and issued a final safety evaluation, with a construction permit decision expected in the first half of 2026. Kairos Power received a construction permit for its Hermes test reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, while Oklo Aurora and the GE Hitachi BWRX-300 rank among the most advanced designs in active review or pre-application.
Federal support has reinforced the momentum. In December 2025, the Department of Energy selected the Tennessee Valley Authority and Holtec Government Services to each receive 400 million dollars in cost-shared funding, totaling 800 million dollars, to support early deployment of advanced light-water SMRs in Tennessee and Michigan. Regulators are expected to issue licensing decisions on the first commercial SMR construction permits during 2026, a step the industry views as pivotal for moving from design approval toward operating plants.
Source: Utility Dive -- https://www.utilitydive.com/news/nrc-approves-nuscale-small-modular-reactor-smr/749538/