US approves first commercial small modular reactor after 14-month review

The Clinch River project will use the BWRX-300, a boiling-water reactor developed by GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy The United States has taken a significant step toward a new generation of nuclear power with approval for construction of what is set to become the country’s first commercial small modular reactor (SMR). According to Reuters, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) granted the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) permission to build a 300-megawatt reactor at its Clinch River site in Roane County, Tennessee. The permit follows a 14-month technical review, but construction approval does not mean the reactor can begin producing electricity. TVA will still require a separate operating licence before fuel can be loaded and the facility brought online.A smaller model for nuclear powerReuters reports that the Clinch River project will use the BWRX-300, a boiling-water reactor developed by GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy. Unlike conventional nuclear plants, which generate more than 1,000 megawatts from enormous facilities, the BWRX-300 is designed to produce up to 300 megawatts.Its smaller scale is central to the SMR concept. Modular reactors are designed so that signific...