The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has said in a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that it intends to apply this month for an Early Site Permit that would allow for development of a small modular reactor (SMR) option for its Clinch River site in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Wayne Barber, chief analyst for GenerationHub, reported the development that confirms the TVA's cautiously optimistic approach to employing SMR technology in the future. Previously, TVA had indicated that it foresaw the potential for SMR technology with an eye towards actualizing the approach in the 2030s. The May 3 filing with the SEC noted that TVA is still waiting for certification processes for SMR options to run their course. There are four potential certifications expected. NuScale is the company that is furthest along in the process, but Holtec International, Westinghouse Electric Company and Generation mPower are each developing their own SMR designs.
TVA has yet to select which of the four designs it might chose for its Clinch River site, if any. TVA has said that its pursuit of the combined construction and operating license (COL) for the site is contingent upon substantial progress in the certification process for SMR technology.
The Early Site Permit application, which can be filed in conjunction with a COL application, focuses on the location selected for a reactor, while the COL focuses on construction and operations.
TVA is also currently reviewing the option of selling its mothballed, unfinished Bellefonte nuclear power facility, indicating it does not see an immediate need for more power generation. The SMR option, however, has the obvious benefit of allowing for a utility to add smaller amounts of production capacity at a time, stepping up power incrementally to match slow demand growth.
Although certification is incomplete at this point, SMR reactors are generally discussed in the range of 50 MW to 300 MW, as opposed to the four-figure capacity potential of stand-alone reactors.