The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has entered into an agreement with ENTRA1 Energy to develop up to 6 gigawatts (GW) of new nuclear power.
It involves the construction of six new nuclear plants across TVA’s seven-state service region. Each of these new facilities will be powered by 12 individual NuScale Power Modules (NPM).
This collaboration is projected to deliver approximately 5.5 GW of electricity, an output sufficient to power an estimated 4.5 million homes or 60 new large-scale data centers.
Under the terms of the deal, ENTRA1 Energy will finance, build, and own the plants, with TVA purchasing the generated power directly.
We’re investing in the next generation of power solutions to meet the country’s growing energy demands,” said Skip Alvarado, ENTRA1 Energy Chief Projects Officer.
This initiative is intended to meet the increased demand for carbon-free baseload power from energy-intensive industries such as artificial intelligence, critical mining, and semiconductor manufacturing.
Utilization of NuScale SMRs
The project relies on utilizing the NuScale Power Module, a type of Small Modular Reactor (SMR).
“NuScale remains the first and only US NRC-approved SMR technology ready for commercial deployment, making this program a reality,” stated NuScale in a press release.
This certification is a required regulatory step for deploying new reactor designs in the United States.
The NuScale SMR’s design integrates the reactor core, steam generators, and pressurizer into a single, compact vessel.This design offers several potential advantages. The modules can be produced in a factory setting and then shipped to the site, a process that can reduce construction costs and timelines compared to traditional nuclear plants.
The NuScale Power Module, the company’s groundbreaking SMR technology, is a small, safe, pressurized water reactor that can each generate 77 megawatts of electricity (MWe) or 250 megawatts thermal (gross), and can be scaled to meet customer needs through an array of flexible configurations up to 924 MWe (12 modules) of output,” noted the company.
The reactors utilize passive cooling systems that do not require external power for safety. The modules are designed for underground installation, which minimizes their physical footprint and the associated civil engineering work. This modularity allows for power capacity to be added incrementally as needed.
To power the industries of the future
NuScale President and CEO John Hopkins described the agreement as “historic,” noting its role in addressing the country’s energy needs.
Together, we are ready as partners to meet America’s surging demand for reliable, carbon-free baseload power—powering AI data centers, critical mining, semiconductor manufacturing, and the energy-intensive industries that aredriving our nation’s economic future,” Hopkins remarked.
This new agreement expands on a partnership established in 2022 between ENTRA1 and NuScale, which was formed to provide comprehensive services for nuclear projects.