DOE selects companies for $94M in light water SMR deployment awards
Eight companies will collectively receive more than $94 million in cost-share funding to expedite the near-term deployment of small light water modular reactors, the Department of Energy announced Thursday.
This Tier 2 disbursement under the Generation III+ SMR Pathway to Deployment Program is smaller than last year’s $800 million disbursement—which went to the Tennessee Valley Authority and Holtec to aid their deployment of, respectively, a GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GVH) BWRX-300 at Clinch River in Tennessee and two Holtec SMR-300s at the Palisades site in Michigan. The newly announced recipients come from different parts of the country and focus on key areas of SMR deployment, including equipment procurement.
The recipients: Two companies were chosen for site preparation and selection purposes:
- A $17.3 million award to Constellation SMR Development LLC, to pursue a Nuclear Regulatory Commission early site permit (ESP) for a future SMR site in New York. (Recent actions in New York that could lead to new nuclear power plants include solicitations by the New York Power Authority for expressions of interest from potential host communities.)
- A $27.9 million award to Nebraska Public Power District, to obtain an ESP from the NRC for a future SMR site in Nebraska. (Of note, NPPD hosted informational open houses across the state last year as it considered building a new nuclear power plant.)
The six other companies were selected for supply chain development endeavors:
- A $21.4 million award to BWXT Nuclear Energy Inc., to acquire equipment for the final assembly of reactor pressure vessels and the manufacturing of large components for nuclear reactors at an existing facility in Mount Vernon, Ind. (Previously, BWXT Canada secured a contract to manufacture the reactor pressure vessel for the first of four planned BWRX-300 reactors at Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington site.)
- A $547,900 award to Container Technologies Industries LLC, to expand nuclear quality assurance certifications at its Helenwood, Tenn., facility to produce steel for SMR deployments.
- An $8.8 million award to Framatome U.S. Government Solutions LLC, to expand a Richland, Wash., fuel fabrication facility. Framatome wants to increase its number of ceramic pellet production lines; the expansion will add approximately 200 metric tons of uranium of annual capacity. (It is Framatome’s second major U.S. development in May, as the company announced the Richland facility had received NRC approval for a license amendment supporting fabrication of fuel with enrichment levels above 5 percent uranium-235, with manufacturing scheduled to begin in 2027.)
- A $3 million award to Global Nuclear Fuel Americas (an affiliate of GVH), to establish a second production line for fuel rod fabrication for boiling water reactors, acquire capital equipment to automate the pellet inspection process, and implement automated pellet storage and handling capabilities at its Wilmington, N.C., facility.
- A $2.9 million award to North American Forgemasters Company, to procure a new furnace for its New Castle, Pa., facility to domestically produce large-component forgings for Gen III+ SMRs.
- A $12.3 million award to Scot Forge Company, to procure and install a large vertical turning lathe and gantry-style milling machine at its Spring Grove, Ill., facility to domestically produce and manufacture large components.
Plans span administrations: DOE Secretary Chris Wright said in Thursday’s announcement, “Advanced light water SMRs will give our nation the reliable, round-the-clock power we need to fuel the president’s manufacturing boom, support data centers and AI growth, and reinforce a stronger, more secure electric grid. These awards ensure we can deploy these reactors as soon as possible.”
The approximately $900 million in funding through the Generation III+ SMR Pathway to Deployment Program was originally offered in 2024 under the Biden administration, but the DOE modified the solicitation in 2025 to align with the energy policies and goals of the Trump administration.
Tier 2, or Fast Follower Deployment Support, was described in 2024 as providing approximately $100 million to address “key gaps that have hindered the domestic nuclear industry in areas such as design, licensing, supplier development, and site preparation.”
Another round of Tier 2 awards may be issued if additional funds become available, according to the DOE’s May 14 news release.
