The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) on Tuesday announced a nuclear energy expansion it called the “largest in U.S. history,” as the new power plants constructed under an agreement with ENTRA 1 Energy will eventually provide enough electricity to power millions of homes, or dozens of data centers required for artificial intelligence (AI).
TVA said the agreement sees ENTRA 1 launch a total of six small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) plants that will eventually provide up to 6 gigawatts of nuclear power across its service area, which the public electric utility said was enough to power about 4.5 million American homes, or 60 new data centers powering AI, semiconductor production.
Don Moul, who became president of TVA earlier this year, said the deal would create jobs while creating, “reliable, abundant American energy,” and the agency said it would complement the Trump administration’s, “Energy Dominance agenda and focus on America’s energy security.”
ENTRA 1 was previously announced as the “exclusive commercialization partner of NuScale Power,” whose website states that it pioneered the type of SMR technology described in the agreement with TVA. NuScale Power is partnered with the Fluor Corporation, a century-old engineering firm now considered a Fortune 500 company.
This is the latest nuclear agreement announced by TVA, which has seemingly warmed to nuclear energy following a series of changes to the board under the guidance of President Donald Trump, and at the urging of Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN), who co-authored an article calling for the adoption of SMR technology earlier this year.
“If we, as a nation, fail to meet this moment, American leadership in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, and the ability to win conventional wars will be put at risk,” the senators wrote. “If we choose to lead, a Golden Age lies ahead.”
TVA has since filed applications or announced agreements that will result in multiple new SMR projects in its service area, including a new reactor at a site near its Oak Ridge, Tennessee, complex, and through an agreement that will see Kairos Power provide enough nuclear energy from SMRs to power 50,000 homes by 2030.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
