Policy and licensing
What changed, what it affects, and what remains unapproved, for selected SMR-relevant US measures and for the NRC permissions of tracked US projects. Permissions in other countries are on their project pages.
Policy and licensing pilot: selected federal measures and selected state measures for Texas and Indiana, chosen for their relevance to tracked projects. This is not a complete list of laws, rules or programmes for any jurisdiction, and a jurisdiction without a page here has not been reviewed. Nothing here ranks places or implies that a project is eligible for, or approved under, any measure.
Jurisdictions in this pilot
- United States (federal) — 18 records
Laws, rules and executive directives: 8 · Bills, proposed rules and consultations: 2 · Funding and support programmes: 3 · Awards and selections: 5 - Texas — 3 records
Laws, rules and executive directives: 2 · Funding and support programmes: 1 - Indiana — 3 records
Laws, rules and executive directives: 3
Federal measures are stored once and apply across the United States; state pages link to them instead of repeating them.
What changed
Newest dated events first. A rule's publication, a permit decision and a funding selection are different kinds of event; each links to its record and sources.
- 2026-09-28 · Issued / approved: Clinch River Unit 1 construction permit
Affects: Construction permission - 2026-08-31 · Comment period closed: Proposed modernization of reactor licensing, safety oversight and siting practices
Affects: NRC licensing, Siting - 2026-07-16 · Proposed: Proposed modernization of reactor licensing, safety oversight and siting practices
Affects: NRC licensing, Siting - 2026-07 · Milestone: DOE Reactor Pilot Program — DOE reports four zero-power criticality demonstrations by July 2026.
Affects: DOE test-reactor authorization - 2026-06-15 · Comment period closed: Proposed licensing requirements for microreactors and comparable reactors
Affects: NRC licensing - 2026-05-26 · Took effect: Generic environmental impact statement rule for licensing new nuclear reactors
Affects: Environmental review - 2026-05-14 · Selections announced: Gen III+ SMR selections of May 2026: early site permits and supply chain
Affects: Project funding, Siting - 2026-05-14 · Selections announced: DOE Generation III+ Small Modular Reactor programme — Eight further selections totalling more than $94 million.
Affects: Project funding - 2026-05-01 · Proposed: Proposed licensing requirements for microreactors and comparable reactors
Affects: NRC licensing - 2026-04-29 · Took effect: 10 CFR Part 53: risk-informed, technology-inclusive licensing framework
Affects: NRC licensing - 2026-04-24 · Published: Generic environmental impact statement rule for licensing new nuclear reactors
Affects: Environmental review - 2026-03-30 · Published: 10 CFR Part 53: risk-informed, technology-inclusive licensing framework
Affects: NRC licensing - 2026-03-19 · Took effect: TANEO grant rules (10 TAC chapter 331)
Affects: Project funding - 2026-03-13 · Published: TANEO grant rules (10 TAC chapter 331) — Adoption notice; section 331.32 adopted with changes.
Affects: Project funding - 2026-03-09 · Issued / approved: TerraPower Natrium construction permit
Affects: Construction permission - 2026-01-02 · Proposed: TANEO grant rules (10 TAC chapter 331)
Affects: Project funding - 2025-12-31 · Application: Pioneer Units 1 and 2 phased construction permit application (with limited work authorization request)
Affects: Construction permission - 2025-12-02 · Selections announced: Gen III+ SMR selection: TVA (Clinch River BWRX-300)
Affects: Project funding - 2025-12-02 · Selections announced: Gen III+ SMR selection: Holtec (Palisades SMR-300)
Affects: Project funding - 2025-12-02 · Selections announced: DOE Generation III+ Small Modular Reactor programme — Two first-mover selections of up to $400 million each.
Affects: Project funding - 2025-10-01 · Provision took effect: ADVANCE Act of 2024 — NRC applies the reduced hourly rate ($148, against $318 full cost) from this date.
Affects: NRC review fees, NRC licensing - 2025-09-01 · Took effect: Texas HB 14 (2025): Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office and development fund
Affects: Project funding, State programme administration - 2025-09-01 · Opened: Texas Advanced Nuclear Development Fund — Fund created when HB 14 took effect.
Affects: Project funding - 2025-08-12 · Selections announced: DOE Reactor Pilot Program — Initial selections: ten companies, Oklo with two projects.
Affects: DOE test-reactor authorization - 2025-06-20 · Signed: Texas HB 14 (2025): Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office and development fund
Affects: Project funding, State programme administration - 2025-06-18 · Opened: DOE Reactor Pilot Program — Request for applications issued.
Affects: DOE test-reactor authorization - 2025-05-29 · Published: Executive Order 14302: nuclear industrial base
Affects: Project funding - 2025-05-29 · Published: Executive Order 14301: reactor testing at the Department of Energy
Affects: DOE test-reactor authorization - 2025-05-29 · Published: Executive Order 14300: reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Affects: NRC licensing - 2025-05-29 · Published: Executive Order 14299: advanced reactors for national security
Affects: DOE test-reactor authorization, Siting
What remains unapproved or unfunded
Measures not yet in effect, programmes without recorded awards, and selections without final terms
- Proposed licensing requirements for microreactors and comparable reactors · Proposed — not in effect
91 FR 23628 (proposed rule, 1 May 2026); docket NRC-2025-0379 · U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission · affects: NRC licensing
NRC proposal published 1 May 2026; the comment period closed on 15 June 2026. It is not in effect.
Not approved or pending: Not adopted: no final rule had been published by 3 October 2026. - Proposed modernization of reactor licensing, safety oversight and siting practices · Proposed — not in effect
91 FR 44560 (proposed rule, 16 July 2026); docket NRC-2025-0975 · U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission · affects: NRC licensing, Siting
NRC proposal published 16 July 2026 under the Commission's revision of its rules ordered by Executive Order 14300; comments closed 31 August 2026. It is not in effect.
Not approved or pending: Not adopted: no final rule had been published by 3 October 2026. - Gen III+ SMR selection: TVA (Clinch River BWRX-300) · Selected — award terms not recorded as final
DOE Gen III+ SMR selection of TVA, 2 December 2025 · U.S. Department of Energy · affects: Project funding
DOE selected TVA on 2 December 2025 for up to $400 million in cost-shared funding for its first BWRX-300 at Clinch River.
Not approved or pending: A selection of up to $400 million is not a disbursement; final award terms are not recorded. - Gen III+ SMR selection: Holtec (Palisades SMR-300) · Selected — award terms not recorded as final
DOE Gen III+ SMR selection of Holtec, 2 December 2025 · U.S. Department of Energy · affects: Project funding
DOE selected Holtec on 2 December 2025 for up to $400 million in cost-shared funding for two SMR-300 units at Palisades.
Not approved or pending: A selection of up to $400 million is not a disbursement; final award terms are not recorded. - Gen III+ SMR selections of May 2026: early site permits and supply chain · Selected — award terms not recorded as final
DOE Gen III+ SMR selections of eight companies, 14 May 2026 · U.S. Department of Energy · affects: Project funding, Siting
DOE selected eight companies on 14 May 2026 for more than $94 million in cost-shared funding, including two early site permit efforts whose sites the announcement does not name.
Not approved or pending: Selections are not disbursements, and an early site permit effort is not a permit; no SMRMap project is linked because the announcement names a state, not a site. - Texas Advanced Nuclear Development Fund · In effect
Texas Government Code chapter 483 (HB 14, 2025) · Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office · affects: Project funding
TANEO says $350 million is appropriated to the fund's programmes and its requests for applications have closed. No grant recipient was listed on 3 October 2026.
Not approved or pending: No awards recorded: TANEO listed no grant recipients as of 3 October 2026.
US reactor applications under NRC review
Construction permission
- Pioneer Units 1 and 2 phased construction permit application (with limited work authorization request) — Holtec Pioneer Units 1 and 2 (SMR-300 at Palisades)
Construction permission · Under review · NRC · submitted 2025-12-31 · docket 50-616, 50-617 · 91 FR 62565
Holtec filed Part 1 of a phased construction permit application for two SMR-300 units (Pioneer 1 and 2) at the Palisades Energy Center on 31 December 2025, including a limited work authorization request. The NRC accepted it for docketing in February 2026 and began weekly notices of receipt on 1 October 2026. Neither the limited work authorization nor a construction permit has been issued.
Sources: Federal Register 91 FR 62565 (1 Oct 2026): Pioneer Units 1 and 2 phased construction permit application with limited work authorization request; NRC news 26-008 Holtec Pioneer LWA - Dow Long Mott construction permit application — Long Mott Generating Facility (Xe-100 at Dow Seadrift)
Construction permission · Under review · NRC · submitted 2025-03-31 · docket 50-614 · 90 FR 24428 · 91 FR 53900
Long Mott Energy's construction permit application, dated 31 March 2025, was accepted and docketed by the NRC. The Commission scheduled a hearing session for 22 September 2026; no permit decision is recorded here. The May 2026 environmental finding for an exemption is not a permit.
Sources: Federal Register 90 FR 24428 (10 Jun 2025): Long Mott Generating Station construction permit application; Federal Register 91 FR 53900 (20 Aug 2026): Long Mott Generating Station notice of hearing; NRC / ANS Dow Long Mott Xe-100 EA-FONSI
An application under review has no permit. A permit for construction is not authority to operate. A design assessment is not permission for any site.