TVA becomes first U.S. utility to apply for permit to build first modular nuclear reactor

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) became the first utility in the U.S. to apply for a permit to build the first modular nuclear reactor.

A modular nuclear reactor is smaller in size and can be built more easily, faster, and cheaper than traditional reactors.

The TVA announced this week that it submitted the first permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to build a small, modular nuclear reactor.

"This is huge. Very exciting for the TVA, our region, and the nation," Scott Fiedler, a spokesperson for the TVA said.

The TVA hopes to build the reactor along the Clinch River in Oak Ridge.

The permit application process took around three years, according to the TVA. It comes as Gov. Bill Lee pushes to make Tennessee a hub for nuclear energy.