U.S. Nuclear Body Gives Second SMR Permit in Six Months

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Written by Paul Wiseman for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Subhead

TVA's CP issued September 29 follows the March 4 CP for TerraPower's advanced Natrium Reactor near Kemmer, Wyoming.

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Oak Ridge Buoys SMR Hopes

After 10 years of nuclear construction silence, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued two construction permits within six months, with the second on September 29. Both permits are for small modular reactors (SMRs).

Industrial Info Resources is tracking 38 SMR projects in the U.S. with completion dates by 2035. These projects have a total investment value (TIV) of about $105 billion.

Industrial Info Resources offers more information on these projects in its Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database, where readers can find details--including construction schedules, investment values and necessary equipment--in a detailed list of project reports.

The latest permit is for the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Clinch River site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Located at site of the retired Clinch River Breeder Reactor, the 300-megawatt (MW) SMR is expected to be completed toward the end of 2034. Subscribers can learn more from a project report.

The NRC said the approval process for the Church River site took 14 months, putting it four months ahead of schedule.

On March 4, the NRC issued a permit for TerraPower's advanced natrium reactor in Kemmer, Wyoming. The Natrium SMR, which will produce 345 MW at an existing coal-fired plant, is set to be completed toward the end of 2031. Subscribers can consult a project report.

According to the NRC's news release on the Kemmerer project, "This is the first commercial reactor the NRC has approved for construction in nearly a decade, and the first approval for a non-light water reactor in more than 40 years."

It is important to note that the permits are only for constructing the plant. Additional permitting will be required before the reactors can begin operation.

Small Nukes Grow Up: Other Projects Also Queued Up

Here is a look at some other significant SMR projects in the U.S.

Holtec's Palisades Nuclear Plant SMR addition will be built on the site of an existing nuclear plant in Cover, Michigan, that closed in May 2022. The new project will install two 300-MW SMRs for a total 600 MW of generation. The old unit's capacity was 805 MW. Subscribers can learn more from a project report.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) granted Holtec an exemption on August 28, 2026, authorizing installation of permanent support-of-excavation (SOE) and cutoff-wall systems for Pioneer units 1 and 2.

Holtec submitted the request on December 31, 2025, as part of Part 1 of the phased Construction Permit Application (CPA). The approval marks an important milestone toward initiating early site construction at the Palisades Energy Center in Covert, Michigan.

Restarting Traditional Nuclear Plants Also in the Mix

The plant formerly known as Three Mile Island may be the best-known of the restarts in progress. Now known as the Crane Clean Energy Center, Unit 1 is expected to open late in 2027, with a capacity of 835 MW. Unit 1 was not affected by Unit 2's 1979 incident, in which the latter was permanently closed.

Owner Constellation Energy closed Unit 1 in 2019 for economic reasons. Its $1.6 billion restart is expected to offset Microsoft's agreement to purchase a similar amount of power from Constellation for data centers in other locations. Subscribers can consult a project report.

Holtec's Palisades plant, home of the above-mentioned SMR, is also seeing a restart of its 812-MW Unit 1, completed on August 30 of this year--making it the first restart to get to the refueling stage. It had shut down in May 2022. Subscribers can learn more from a project report.

The company reported on September 25 that an incident had temporarily halted the refueling process, and that an evaluation of the issue was underway.

As with the TMI restart, data center growth is a key driver in expanding nuclear power of all sorts. It is considered clean, although it does create toxic waste, it requires less space and is more reliable as baseline power than wind or solar, and there is a backlog of orders for natural gas turbines.

Also, many of the SMRs are being installed in existing power plants, and those facilities are already connected to the grid, so delivery costs are less than for many wind and solar startups.

All this seems to let nuclear power compare well to other energy sources in the drive to stay ahead of the demand curve.

Key Takeaways

• First SMR approvals from NRC happened this year.
• Some retired traditional nuclear plants are coming back online
• The former Three Mile Island was the first, last month.

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About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news, and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing, and energy-related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified, and verified plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).