The US Department of Energy has issued a notice of intent to fund up to $900m (€840m) for the initial deployments of Generation III+ small modular reactor (SMR) technologies.

The funding, which the DOE said was made possible in part by president Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help strengthen the US’s domestic nuclear industry and spur follow-on reactor projects, which are vital to achieving clean energy and climate goals and meeting the growing demand for clean, reliable power.

Energy secretary Jennifer Granholm said the funding will support early movers in the nuclear sector as the administration seeks to scale up nuclear power and reassert American leadership in the critical nuclear energy industry.