The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued TVA a construction permit on September 28, 2026, for Clinch River Nuclear Unit 1 in Roane County, Tennessee. The permit authorizes construction of the facility described in TVA’s application, subject to its conditions. It is not approval to operate the reactor.
What does the NRC’s permit allow?
The permit, identified as CPAR-2, authorizes the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to construct the Clinch River Nuclear Unit 1 power reactor facility as described in its application. The NRC’s formal notice says: “The CP, which is immediately effective, authorizes TVA to construct a power reactor facility in Roane County, Tennessee, as described in the CP application.” The notice is associated with Jeremy Bowen, Director of the NRC Office of Advanced Reactors.
The NRC said applicable standards and requirements were met and made findings concerning regulatory compliance, resolution of safety questions by completion of construction, site suitability, TVA’s technical and financial qualifications, and public health and safety. Those are agency findings under the permit’s criteria and conditions—not a guarantee of project cost, completion date, schedule, or operating performance. The notice was published in the Federal Register on October 5, 2026.
Is the Clinch River reactor approved to operate?
No. This is a construction permit, not authorization to load fuel or operate the unit. The NRC notice describes safety questions as matters to be satisfactorily resolved by completion of construction. Construction authorization is therefore a licensing milestone, not evidence that the reactor has been built, is producing electricity, or has received operating approval.
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How does the construction permit differ from the earlier site permit?
| Milestone | What it addresses | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Early site permit, approved December 19, 2019 | Whether the site is suitable for a nuclear facility under the early site permit review. TVA describes the approval as obtained in December 2019. | It is not the construction permit for Unit 1 and does not authorize operation. |
| Construction permit, CPAR-2, issued September 28, 2026 | Authority for TVA to construct the facility described in its application, subject to permit conditions. | It does not mean construction is complete or authorize the reactor to operate. |
| Operating authorization | A later licensing milestone would be needed before the unit could operate. | The sources cited here do not establish an operating date. |
The NRC’s notice lists the earlier site permit and CPAR-2 as separate licensing actions. TVA’s Clinch River Nuclear site page describes its consideration of small modular reactors as part of ongoing discussion about future generation; the Unit 1 construction permit should not be read as approval for a broader build-out.
Where is the project, and what reactor design is planned?
TVA describes the Clinch River property as about 1,200 acres on the northern bank of the Clinch River arm of Watts Bar Reservoir in Oak Ridge, Roane County, Tennessee. The permitted unit is planned around GE Vernova Hitachi’s BWRX-300 design.
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The U.S. Department of Energy reported the BWRX-300 design rating as 300 megawatts electric (MWe) in a July 10, 2025, explainer. That figure is the design’s stated electrical output rating, not a measurement of power produced at Clinch River. The DOE article predates permit issuance and provides design context; the 2026 NRC notice is the source for the project’s current licensing status. See the DOE explainer on TVA’s construction permit application.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is documented about the permit action?
The NRC action concerns Clinch River Nuclear Unit 1, docket 50-615, and NRC docket NRC-2024-0146. The Federal Register notice identifies the construction permit as ADAMS accession ML26243A056 and the Record of Decision as ML26245A346. It also lists the June 24, 2026, safety evaluation as ML26168A505 and the April 1, 2026, supplement to NUREG-2226 as ML26035A285.
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The permit was issued September 28, 2026, and the Federal Register published notice on October 5, 2026. No project cost, construction duration, annual generation figure, or future operating date is established by the sources cited here.
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