{"id":2675172,"date":"2026-10-03T19:21:59","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T23:21:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ais-power-hunger-was-just-given-a-nuclear-answer-as-nrc-greenlights-tennessee-reactor-construction\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T19:32:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T23:32:30","slug":"ais-power-hunger-was-just-given-a-nuclear-answer-as-nrc-greenlights-tennessee-reactor-construction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ais-power-hunger-was-just-given-a-nuclear-answer-as-nrc-greenlights-tennessee-reactor-construction\/","title":{"rendered":"AI&#8217;s Power Hunger Was Just Given a Nuclear Answer as NRC Greenlights Tennessee Reactor Construction"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fais-power-hunger-was-just-given-a-nuclear-answer-as-nrc-greenlights-tennessee-reactor-construction%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2675172&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article reports that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a construction permit to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/steven-nesbit-the-u-s-must-fully-embrace-nuclear-power-to-achieve-true-energy-security\/\" title=\"Steven Nesbit: The U.S. Must Fully Embrace ... Power To Achieve True ... Security\">small modular reactor<\/a> (SMR) at the Clinch River Nuclear Site in Tennessee. This marks only the second commercial advanced reactor project in the U.S. to receive such a permit and the first using the BWRX-300 design, developed with GE Vernova Hitachi and international partners. The permit approval provides a clear licensing pathway for future SMR projects, possibly easing their approval process. TVA submitted its permit application in May 2025,and the project is currently under NRC review,with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-administration-admits-keystone-cancellation-cost-tens-of-thousands-of-jobs\/\" title=\"Biden Administration Admits Keystone Cancellation Cost Tens This is Thousands This is Jobs\">supplemental environmental impact statement<\/a> completed in April 2026. This deployment aims to serve as a model for expanding SMR technology across the contry, supporting U.S. energy goals and infrastructure. Additionally, the Department of Energy allocated up to $400 million each to TVA and Holtec for SMR development, totaling $800 million, to help commercialize Generation III+ SMRs by the early 2030s. The initiative is part of broader efforts under federal policies to boost nuclear energy capacity from around 100 GW to 400 GW by 2050, emphasizing the role of advanced reactors in energy security, manufacturing, and digital infrastructure. The projects are progressing through licensing and permitting phases, with the goal of introducing more reliable, zero-emission power sources to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/community-solar-plans-stalled-in-pennsylvania\/\" title=\"Community solar plans stalled in Pennsylvania\">meet rising electricity demands<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday issued the Tennessee Valley Authority a construction permit for a small modular reactor in Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The greenlighted build marks only the second commercial advanced reactor project to receive a U.S. construction permit and the first using the BWRX-300 design, WATE <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wate.com\/news\/local-news\/tva-clinch-river-nuclear-site-permit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a> Monday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The NRC said the approval establishes a \u201cclear, repeatable licensing pathway\u201d for future SMR applicants, potentially making subsequent projects using the technology easier to license, NucNet <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nucnet.org\/news\/us-regulator-approves-construction-of-small-modular-reactor-at-clinch-river-9-2-2026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The TVA sent the application for the permit in May 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The TVA would also become the first U.S. utility permitted to begin construction of a BWRX-300, according to NucNet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The BWRX-300 is a smaller boiling-water reactor design that the TVA has helped develop alongside GE Vernova Hitachi and international partners. The utility has said the project could provide a template for deploying additional reactors around the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The milestone follows the NRC\u2019s March <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nrc.gov\/node\/2156776\">approval<\/a> of a construction permit for TerraPower\u2019s Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1 in Wyoming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The Department of Energy (DOE) announced in December 2025 that it had selected the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Holtec Government Services to receive up to $400 million each to advance small modular reactor (SMR) projects in Tennessee and Michigan, <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/ne\/articles\/one-year-after-executive-orders-us-nuclear-energy-renaissance-full-swing\">according<\/a> to a May DOE press release.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The $800 million in cost-d funding is intended to help bring Generation III+ SMRs online in the early 2030s and establish supply chains for additional reactors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cPresident [Donald] Trump has made clear that America is going to build more energy, not less, and nuclear is central to that mission,\u201d Energy Secretary <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2026\/09\/26\/energy-department-coal-plants-emergency-orders-campbell-court-ruling-indiana-craig\/\">Chris Wright<\/a> said when DOE announced the awards.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cAdvanced light-water SMRs will give our nation the reliable, round-the-clock power we need to fuel the President\u2019s manufacturing boom, support data centers and AI growth, and reinforce a stronger, more secure electric grid.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">TVA plans to deploy GE Vernova-Hitachi\u2019s BWRX-300 reactor at its Clinch River Nuclear Site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Unlike many proposed advanced reactors, the TVA project has already entered the federal licensing process. The TVA submitted its construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in April 2025, and regulators are currently reviewing the application, <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nrc.gov\/facilities-safety\/new-reactors\/advanced-reactors\/who-were-working-with\/advanced-reactor-application-projects\/tva-clinch-river-cpa\">according<\/a> to the NRC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The agency completed its supplemental environmental impact statement for the project in April 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The TVA also plans to use the project to help accelerate additional BWRX-300 deployments alongside Indiana Michigan Power and Elementl.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The utility is working with domestic nuclear suppliers including Scot Forge, North American Forgemasters and BWX Technologies, according to the DOE.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The second $400 million award is backing Holtec\u2019s plan to construct two SMR-300 reactors next to the Palisades Nuclear Plant in Covert, Michigan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Holtec submitted the first portion of its phased construction permit application for the two reactors, dubbed Pioneer Units 1 and 2, in December 2025. The NRC accepted the application for review in February and released a draft environmental impact statement in August, <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nrc.gov\/facilities-safety\/new-reactors\/advanced-reactors\/who-were-working-with\/advanced-reactor-application-projects\/pioneer-units-1-and-2-limited-work-authorization-application\">according<\/a> to the agency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The proposed SMRs would sit alongside the existing Palisades reactor, which Holtec is separately working to restart after the plant shut down in 2022. The federal government is supporting that effort with a loan of up to $1.52 billion, <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/ne\/articles\/one-year-after-executive-orders-us-nuclear-energy-renaissance-full-swing\">according<\/a> to the DOE.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Holtec is attempting to consolidate much of the SMR development process under one company, acting as the reactor developer, supply-chain provider and plant operator while working with Hyundai Engineering &#038; Construction on construction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The projects are part of a broader federal effort to increase nuclear generation as electricity demand rises from artificial intelligence, data centers and manufacturing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Trump signed four nuclear-related executive orders in May 2025 directing the federal government to accelerate reactor licensing and deployment and pursue an expansion of U.S. nuclear capacity from roughly 100 gigawatts to 400 gigawatts by 2050, <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/ne\/articles\/one-year-after-executive-orders-us-nuclear-energy-renaissance-full-swing\">according<\/a> to the DOE.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The president\u2019s administration has since backed projects ranging from restarting shuttered reactors to developing new advanced designs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The NRC issued TerraPower a construction permit for its Natrium advanced reactor in Wyoming in March 2026, while regulators are also reviewing applications for other advanced reactor projects around the country, according to the department.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The TVA and Holtec awards originated from a $900 million DOE solicitation for Generation III+ SMRs designed to reduce the financial and technical risks associated with building the first reactors of their kind.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The two projects, however, still have to clear federal licensing and construction hurdles before producing electricity. The TVA\u2019s BWRX-300 remains under NRC review, while Holtec\u2019s two proposed Michigan reactors are moving through a phased construction permitting process.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter\u2019s byline and their DCNF affiliation. 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