NRC gives green light to build the first BWRX-300 small modular reactor in the United States

A construction permit for a BWRX-300 small modular reactor has been granted by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the first time. It is headed to the Tennessee Valley Authority, which intends to erect the reactor at its Clinch River location in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

This point arrives following years of examination and partnership among TVA, the NRC and GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy, which created the reactor. It represents a real step ahead for advanced nuclear work in the United States.

The Permit and What It Means

The NRC has reviewed TVA’s application and found it meets safety and technical requirements for beginning physical construction, which marks a major regulatory hurdle known as a construction permit. That hurdle was cleared in the NRC’s decision.

This reactor generates 300 megawatts and is built around a pared-down design that draws on decades of experience running boiling water reactors. Its simpler arrangement is meant to make construction less complicated.

This permit marks the first time a model of its kind has been approved in the United States. It stands as a notable achievement for TVA, GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy and the wider U.S. nuclear sector.

The People Behind the Decision

In a statement, Eric Gray, who leads GE Vernova’s Power Segment, welcomed the move, positioning it as a defining moment for new nuclear power in the United States.

“This is a milestone for TVA and GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy, and an important moment for new nuclear in the United States,” Gray said.

He drew attention to the joint work of the NRC and the Department of Energy, and also to federal Executive Orders designed to speed up advanced reactors.

GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s CEO Jason Cooper took a wider view of how nuclear plants get built. His point was that a set design, paired with a steady regulatory framework, lets knowledge gained from one project carry over to help other projects along the way.

“Fleet deployment is essential to scaling nuclear energy in the United States,” Cooper said.

“Together, and in alignment with federal Executive Orders aimed at accelerating advanced reactors, we are grateful for this collaboration as we work to support the deployment of the first BWRX-300 in the country.”

The Review Process

The NRC’s decision followed an extensive review of TVA’s construction permit application. The process built on significant engagement between TVA, the NRC and GVH, which developed the reactor.

A more efficient path for advanced nuclear projects was shown to be supported by experience, early regulatory engagement, and a mature reactor design, according to the review.

North American regulatory progress for the BWRX-300 continues to build, and the milestone reflects that trend. In April 2025, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission handed Ontario Power Generation a License to Construct the first BWRX-300 at its Darlington New Nuclear Project site.

OPG handed over its License to Operate application for the first unit in March 2026. The CNSC is now examining it.

Blue Energy handed in the first portion of its construction permit request to the NRC in September 2026, covering a BWRX-300 reactor intended for its gas-plus-nuclear undertaking in Texas.

These projects, taken together, are building a growing set of licensing experiences that can be drawn upon for future BWRX-300 deployments.

The Clinch River Project

TVA submitted its construction permit application for Clinch River in April 2025. The project builds on TVA’s existing Early Site Permit for Clinch River.

This location sits inside the Oak Ridge nuclear complex, close to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Decades of operating experience with boiling water reactors underpin the design, which relies on a simplified configuration.

Key Facts Box

• BWRX-300: 300-megawatt small modular reactor
• First U.S. construction permit: Issued to TVA for Clinch River site
• Canadian milestones: License to Construct issued in April 2025; License to Operate application submitted in March 2026
• Texas application: First part submitted by Blue Energy in September 2026
• TVA application: Submitted in April 2025
• Design features: Simplified configuration, decades of boiling water reactor operating experience

The approval represents real progress for deploying advanced nuclear technology in America, coming after careful examination.

Progress on the Clinch River project continues without pause. What comes next is well understood, and lessons drawn from elsewhere will ease the path ahead.

The permit gives TVA clearance to build. It also affirms for GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy that its design and deployment model can work.

The U.S. nuclear industry now points toward a new generation of reactors, with the BWRX-300 taking the lead.

Source material: “NRC issues first U.S. construction permit for a BWRX-300 small modular reactor,” gevernova.com.

advanced reactors · GE Vernova Hitachi · nuclear energy · small modular reactors · TVA