The Tennessee Valley Authority and ENTRA1 Energy have signed an agreement to develop up to 6 GW of nuclear capacity using NuScale small modular reactors. The program calls for six plants across the TVA service area, which spans seven states in the southeastern United States.
Each facility, known as an ENTRA1 Energy Plant, will host multiple NuScale modules. According to analyses of the program, the plan envisions 12 modules per plant, for a total of 72. The companies estimate that the combined output would be enough to power the equivalent of roughly 4.5 million homes or 60 new data centers.
The structure is straightforward. ENTRA1 is NuScale’s strategic partner and holds the exclusive global rights to market, distribute and deploy its technology. It will handle development, financing and construction, own the plants and sell the electricity to TVA under future power purchase agreements. TVA, the largest public power provider in the United States, is working on site identification and planning.
The deal stems from surging electricity demand. Artificial intelligence, data centers and semiconductor manufacturing require more firm power available around the clock. SMRs address this with compact units that can be built as modules and added in phases. The model, in which a private developer finances and builds while a utility buys the power, spreads construction risk and gives the customer a long-term contract price.
For NuScale, the program is a step toward the first large-scale sale of its technology. Its reactor has been the only SMR certified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for more than three years. The next step is the power purchase agreements between TVA and ENTRA1, which would turn the framework agreement into actual module orders. In parallel, Fluor’s detailed engineering study for the RoPower plant at Doicești, Romania, is moving forward.
If the contracts materialize, the U.S. Southeast could host the largest SMR fleet in the Western world. For Europe, Romania included, it would offer a concrete benchmark on the costs, timelines and supply chain of small reactors.
