US federal utility and nuclear operator Tennessee Valley Authority has signed an agreement with nuclear plant manufacturer GE-Hitachi (GEH) to deploy small modular reactors at Clinch River near Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and will spend the next year preparing a possible construction permit to build two of the 300-MW plants.

The agreement is part of plans to pursue phased activities that will kick off with design and licensing of a potential GEH light-water BWRX-300 SMR at Clinch River, a 370-hectare site in Roane County for which TVA holds the nation’s only early site permit from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

“TVA recently issued an industry-leading request for proposal for 5,000 megawatts of carbon-free energy to be available by 2029 and, knowing the critical role advanced nuclear technology will play in our nation's drive to decarbonisation, we signed a partnership with GEH to advance our pursuit of small modular reactor technology,” TVA president Jeff Lyash said.