The Tennessee Valley Authority has become the first US utility to formally file for permission to build a small modular reactor it plans to operate, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's safety review is already described as advanced with no open items, putting a permit decision on track for late 2026, according to the SMR Intel licensing tracker.
The 300-megawatt reactor planned for TVA's Clinch River site uses a design that cools itself with gravity-driven circulation rather than pumps, fits on a footprint of roughly two soccer fields, and would generate enough electricity for about 300,000 homes. The filing moves the SMR sector from paper designs and test units into the territory that matters most: a regulated utility committing to build, own and run one.
The licensing pipeline behind TVA is filling quickly. NuScale Power remains the only developer with full NRC design certification, holding approval for its original 50-megawatt module since January 2023 and a Standard Design Approval for its uprated 77-megawatt US460 since May 2025. NuScale has also announced a 6-gigawatt deployment program with ENTRA1 Energy and TVA.
Oklo received NRC approval for the Principal Design Criteria topical report for its Aurora powerhouse, streamlining future license reviews, after breaking ground at Idaho National Laboratory in September 2025.
Source: SMR Intel - https://smrintel.com/smr-nrc-approval-tracker/