US approves construction of TVA’s 300MW BWRX-300 reactor

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorized the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to build GE Vernova Hitachi’s 300MW BWRX-300 small modular reactor at the Clinch River site in Tennessee. The regulator completed its assessment in 14 months.

TVA still needs another license before it can load nuclear fuel or begin generating electricity. The utility is considering as many as four BWRX-300 units at Clinch River, but has not decided when construction will begin.

The reactor uses boiling-water technology and natural circulation to move coolant. Its safety design also uses gravity, pressure and stored water to protect certain operating conditions without external power. Each 300MW unit would provide roughly one-quarter of the capacity of newer reactors at Georgia’s Vogtle facility.

The same design is being considered or developed elsewhere. In the UK, SGE has proposed as many as 14 reactors across three sites. The programme could cost about £35 billion, equivalent to approximately $46.5 billion, if it proceeds in full. Ontario Power Generation is preparing to deploy its first BWRX-300 in Canada, while Texas-based Blue Energy has applied to develop reactors intended to supply data centers directly.

Developers expect using one design across projects to improve procurement, manufacturing and construction efficiency, but that expectation remains unproven in the US. The source reports that recent large nuclear projects there have faced substantial delays and costs above initial estimates. TVA’s project will test whether smaller standardized reactors can serve large electricity users without repeating those problems.