The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has entered into an agreement with GE - Hitachi Nuclear Power (GEH) to support planning and preliminary permits for the deployment of the BWRX-300 modular small boiling water reactor on the Clinch River near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Under the agreement, GE - Hitachi Nuclear will provide additional information as the agency further analyzes the feasibility of deploying the small reactor, subject to board approval.
The agency said it recently released an industry-leading proposal to provide 5 gigawatts of carbon-free energy by 2029, adding that advanced nuclear technology will play a key role in the U.S. decarbonization strategy. The two sides signed a partnership agreement to advance the development of small heap technology.
The agency also entered into a cooperation agreement with Canada's Ontario Power Company (OPG) in April 2022 to develop advanced nuclear technologies, including small reactors, in Canada and the United States. This follows Ontario Power's announcement on December 2, 2021, that it will work with GE and Hitachi Nuclear to build the BWRX-300 small reactor in Darlington.