Tennessee Valley Authority Seeks to Build GE Vernova Reactor

The Tennessee Valley Authority is taking steps to build a small modular nuclear reactor — the first US utility to seek federal approval for such a project amid a surge in power demand from data centers.

The nation’s largest public power company filed an application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build BWRX-300, a reactor developed by GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy, according to a statement Tuesday. The TVA is planning to build at a site in Clinch River, near Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Interest in nuclear energy continues to increase as data center construction is expected to drive up ...