Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is leading a consortium of government and industry leaders that is applying for an $800m (€775m) US Department of Energy (DOE) grant to accelerate construction of the nation’s first small modular reactor.
The federally owned power company, which owns and operates the Sequoyah and Watts Bar nuclear stations in Tennessee and the Browns Ferry nuclear station in Alabama, said the “strong coalition” includes utilities and developers who are exploring building SMRs, suppliers, construction partners and the state of Tennessee.
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) is part of the consortium, which aims to accelerate the deployment of GEH’s BWRX-300 SMR technology in the US.
The consortium also includes Bechtel, BWX Technologies, Duke Energy, the Electric Power Research Institute, Indiana Michigan Power, Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Sargent & Lundy, Scot Forge, other utilities and advanced nuclear project developers.