NRC Approves First Small Modular Nuclear Reactor for TVA at Clinch River

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a construction permit for the Tennessee Valley Authority to build a small modular reactor at its Clinch River site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The review took 14 months, about four months faster than expected, and the project is expected to become the nation’s first commercial small modular reactor. TVA plans a 300-megawatt GE Vernova Hitachi boiling-water reactor to help meet rising regional electricity demand.

Construction isn’t the finish line, though. TVA still needs a separate NRC operating license before fuel can be loaded and the reactor can produce power. The NRC began reviewing the application in July 2025, completed its safety evaluation in June 2026, and held a public hearing in Oak Ridge in August. TVA has held an early site permit for Clinch River since 2019, and this marks the NRC’s second major reactor approval this year.

For communities like Lawton and the surrounding region, the story raises familiar questions about growth, jobs, and safety. Fort Sill and the Wichita Mountains have long shaped how this area thinks about big federal projects and the energy that keeps them running. Small modular reactors could play a role in how towns like ours power up in the coming decades.

Would you support a small modular reactor project in southwest Oklahoma if it meant more reliable power? Let us know in the comments.