SMR developments: September 2026
25 recorded developments dated September 2026: 2 permission or environmental decisions, 2 applications, 12 project developments, 7 announcements, 2 policy steps.
Entries are placed by their recorded date, not by when SMRMap added them. Entries dated only to a quarter or year are not assigned to a month. Each entry is dated when the development happened unless its label says otherwise, such as “Announced” or “Report dated”. A date recorded only to a month, quarter or year is shown that way. Targets are plans, not achievements or commitments.
Recorded developments
Reported · Contract
Bechtel steps away from Natrium Kemmerer Unit 1; TerraPower to rebid EPC contract #
Bechtel and TerraPower said in September 2026 that they would move forward separately; Bechtel will finish the on-site Sodium Test & Fill Facility. TerraPower said it would rebid the engineering, procurement and construction contract. No replacement contractor is named; the company's statement that the schedule is unaffected is not a verified milestone.
Checking notes
Reported on 22 September 2026: Bechtel and TerraPower said they would move forward separately after considering the next phase of the project. Bechtel said its work had been under an earlier contract phase, before full EPC scope, and that it would remain on site to complete the Sodium Test & Fill Facility. TerraPower said it would rebid the EPC contract and manage the transition to protect the schedule.
Company timeline · Recorded development
BWXT says Pele core barrel cartridge installation is complete #
BWXT's programme page lists core barrel cartridge installation for the Pele reactor as complete in September 2026. The reactor has not yet shipped to INL or been loaded with fuel.
Checking notes
BWXT's programme page lists core barrel cartridge installation as complete in September 2026, at its Lynchburg facility. This is a company statement about factory assembly, not shipment, fuel loading or operation.
Announced · Announcement
Belledune: First Nations and Prodigy transportable nuclear proposal of up to 50 MWe #
The Pabineau and Eel River Bar First Nations and Prodigy propose a transportable nuclear plant of up to 50 MWe at Belledune. The packaging platform is not a selected reactor design. No construction start or precise parcel is established.
Checking notes
Pabineau and Eel River Bar First Nations / Prodigy proposal for up to 50 MWe. The packaging platform is not a selected reactor design. No construction start or precise parcel is established.
· Recorded development
Studsvik selects GE Vernova Hitachi and Samsung C&T for four-unit BWRX-300 project #
Studsvik selected GE Vernova Hitachi and Samsung C&T for an initial four-unit BWRX-300 project.
Checking notes
Studsvik selects GE Vernova Hitachi and Samsung C&T for an initial four-unit BWRX-300 project.
· Contract
Studsvik selects GE Vernova Hitachi and Samsung C&T for a four-unit BWRX-300 project #
Studsvik selected GE Vernova Hitachi and Samsung C&T as strategic partners for an initial four-unit BWRX-300 project of up to 1.2 GW at Nyköping or Målma. The first site is still to be decided. This is not an investment decision.
Checking notes
Strategic partners selected for an initial four-unit BWRX-300 project of up to 1.2 GW at Nyköping or Målma; the first site is still to be decided. Not an investment decision.
In force · Amended
Japan's NRA amends its rule on power-reactor location and structure standards #
NRA Rule No. 7 of 2026 amended the 2013 rule on the location, structure and equipment of commercial power reactors, in force 11 September 2026. The content of the amendment was not reviewed; the rule approves no site.
Checking notes
NRA Rule No. 7 of 2026, enforced the same day; its content was not reviewed.
Release dated · Recorded development
TVEL: first stage of concreting BREST-OD-300 reactor-vessel inner cavity completed #
TVEL said the first stage of concreting the BREST-OD-300 reactor-vessel inner cavity at Seversk was completed.
The release does not give the completion day.
Checking notes
First stage of concreting the BREST-OD-300 reactor-vessel inner cavity completed (TVEL release). Date is the release date; the release does not give the completion day. Company statement relayed by atomic-energy.ru.
· Application submitted
Blue Energy files Part 1 of a construction permit application for Port of Victoria #
Blue Energy filed Part 1 of a phased construction permit application for one BWRX-300 unit in Victoria, Texas. It includes a limited work authorization request, two exemption requests and an environmental report. It is the first part of a phased application; the applicant intends to file the full application within 18 months of Part 1. The NRC has reported receipt only, not acceptance for docketing, a limited work authorization or a construction permit.
NRC notice of receipt: 8 October 2026. Blue Energy asked for acceptance review of specified items by 20 November 2026.
Checking notes
Blue Energy filed Part 1 of a phased construction permit application on 15 September 2026 for one BWRX-300 unit, Blue Energy Center–Port of Victoria Nuclear Unit 1, in Victoria, Texas. Part 1 includes a limited work authorization request, two related exemption requests and an environmental report. The NRC published a notice of receipt on 8 October 2026 (91 FR 64409). That notice reports receipt and says later notices will address whether the application is acceptable for docketing; it does not report an acceptance decision or grant a limited work authorization or construction permit. Receipt authorizes no construction. The applicant intends to file the full construction permit application within 18 months of Part 1.
Announced · Announcement
Blue Energy says it submitted Part 1 of an NRC construction permit application #
Blue Energy statements say the first part of a construction permit application for the Port of Victoria project was submitted to the NRC. A submitted application part is not a permit.
Checking notes
Company statements of 16 September 2026 say the first part of a construction permit application for the Port of Victoria project was submitted to the NRC. The NRC's page, last reviewed 15 September 2026, lists pre-application activity only, and no Federal Register notice was found on 5 October 2026. A submitted application part is not a permit.
Announced · Announcement
Idaho State University names site for its Advanced Research and Test Reactor #
An Idaho State University announcement identifies the Business and Research Park as the site of the future Advanced Research and Test Reactor. The announcement establishes no nuclear permission.
Checking notes
University announcement identifies the future Advanced Research and Test Reactor site at the Business and Research Park. No numerical reactor coordinates or nuclear permission are established.
· Recorded development
NRC holds uncontested hearing on the Belews Creek early site permit application #
The NRC scheduled the uncontested hearing for 17 September 2026 in Danbury, North Carolina, and its project page marks the hearing as held. The permit decision date is listed as to be determined. A hearing is a review step, not a decision.
Hearing notice: 6 August 2026.
Checking notes
The NRC's notice of 6 August 2026 (91 FR 50896) scheduled the uncontested hearing for 17 September 2026 in Danbury, North Carolina, and the NRC's project page marks that hearing as held. A hearing is a review step, not a decision. The permit decision date is listed as to be determined.
· Recorded development
FLiBe coolant salt arrives at Natura's MSR-1 facility at Abilene Christian University #
DOE says more than 4,700 pounds of FLiBe salt, once the coolant of Oak Ridge's Molten Salt Reactor Experiment, arrived at Natura's facility for MSR-1, shipped with Oak Ridge and Idaho national laboratories. A salt delivery is not fuel loading, criticality or operation.
Checking notes
DOE says more than 4,700 pounds of FLiBe salt, once the coolant of Oak Ridge's Molten Salt Reactor Experiment, arrived at Natura's facility at Abilene Christian University on 18 September 2026 for MSR-1, shipped with Oak Ridge and Idaho national laboratories; Natura's release gives the same delivery date. A salt delivery is not fuel loading, criticality or operation.
Announced · Announcement
Ameresco picked to negotiate Aberdeen Proving Ground power lease, with an IMSR planned #
The Army selected Ameresco to negotiate a long-term lease for a power campus at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. Ameresco says it is working with Terrestrial Energy on an IMSR for the campus's Phase 2 site. The lease is still under negotiation; this is not a licence application, permit or construction start.
Checking notes
Ameresco said the Army competitively selected it to negotiate a long-term lease for a power campus at Aberdeen Proving Ground and that it is working with Terrestrial Energy on an IMSR for the Phase 2 site. The lease is not yet signed and no construction will begin before environmental and regulatory reviews.
· Recorded development
Atucha shareholders reportedly authorise a tender for a privately financed reactor #
Shareholders reportedly declared the reactor initiative of business interest and authorised the board to call a public tender for a privately financed reactor over 12 hectares of land reserved for the cancelled Atucha III. Authorising a tender is not an award.
Checking notes
Reported shareholders' meeting decision: the reactor initiative declared of business interest and the board authorised to call a public tender for a privately financed reactor over 12 hectares of the land reserved for the cancelled Atucha III. Not an award.
Published · Recorded development
Second RITM-200S completed at ZiO-Podolsk for the first PEB-106 #
The second RITM-200S was completed at ZiO-Podolsk, completing the reactor set for the first PEB-106 floating unit for Baim / Cape Nagloynyn.
Completion day not stated.
Checking notes
Second RITM-200S completed at ZiO-Podolsk, completing the reactor set for the first PEB-106. Date is the publication date; completion day not stated.
· Proposed
NRC proposes changes to reactor licensing, decommissioning and operational oversight #
The NRC published a proposal for reactor licensing, decommissioning and operational oversight, with comments due on 9 November. The proposed changes are not in effect.
Checking notes
NRC published a separate proposal on 24 September 2026 for reactor licensing, decommissioning and operational oversight, with comments due 9 November. The proposed changes are not in effect. No reactor application, construction permission or operating authority follows from this proposal.
· Construction permission recorded
Construction permit issued for TVA's Clinch River Unit 1 #
A construction permit was issued to TVA for Clinch River Nuclear Unit 1. It is immediately effective and authorizes construction of a power reactor facility in Roane County, Tennessee. No construction start is recorded; a permit is not a physical construction start.
Federal Register notice: 5 October 2026. Construction completion: earliest 1 October 2031, latest 30 September 2032.
Checking notes
The Federal Register published this notice on 5 October 2026 at 91 FR 63311. It states that construction permit CPAR-2 was issued to TVA on 28 September 2026 for Clinch River Nuclear Unit 1, is immediately effective, and authorizes construction of a power reactor facility in Roane County, Tennessee. The notice says the conditions in early site permit ESP-006 had been met except those listed in the construction permit. The permit sets the earliest construction completion date as 1 October 2031 and the latest as 30 September 2032, expires on that latest date and does not restate an output rating. TVA announced the permit on 29 September 2026. The permit is not an operating licence. No construction start is recorded; a permit is not a physical construction start.
Letter dated · Schedule change
NRC caps Belews Creek review fees and brings forward its review schedule #
An NRC letter sets a $2,178,000 fixed cap on NRC review fees for the Belews Creek early site permit, a service-fee limit rather than a project cost, and accelerates the review schedule. The revised review dates remain targets.
Moved earlier: advanced final safety evaluation report and draft environmental impact statement to December 2026; final safety evaluation report to February 2027; final environmental impact statement to March 2027.
Checking notes
NRC letter ML26259A008, dated 29 September 2026 and signed by Michelle W. Hayes, sets a $2,178,000 fixed cap on NRC review fees for the Belews Creek early site permit. The cap is a service-fee limit, not a project cost, a permit or a design selection. The cap may be increased for applicant failure as defined in 10 CFR 170.3. The same letter accelerates the 8 February 2026 acceptance-letter schedule (ML26016A624): advanced final safety evaluation report without open items from March 2027 to December 2026; final safety evaluation report from May 2027 to February 2027; draft environmental impact statement from February 2027 to December 2026; final environmental impact statement from May 2027 to March 2027. The revised dates remain targets.
Announced · Announcement
TVA announces NRC construction permit for Clinch River Unit 1 #
TVA announced that the NRC had issued a construction permit for Clinch River Unit 1. The announcement is not a construction start.
The NRC notice dates the permit 28 September 2026.
Checking notes
TVA announced on 29 September 2026 that the NRC had issued a construction permit for Clinch River Unit 1. The NRC notice dates the permit 28 September 2026. The announcement is not a construction start.
Announced · Announcement
INL names DOME as host for Unity's planned 2027 full-power test #
INL named DOME as the host for Unity's planned 2027 full-power test. The self-funded slot is conditional on readiness, fuel and regulatory milestones. Selection is not authorization.
Checking notes
INL names DOME as the host for Unity’s planned 2027 full-power test. The self-funded slot is conditional on readiness, fuel and regulatory milestones; selection is not authorization.
· Application submitted
Hexana asks ASNR for an opinion on a first safety option for its SMR #
ASNR reports that Hexana requested an opinion on a first safety option for its small modular reactor. ASNR places this in pre-instruction safety-options exchanges. This is a design assessment request, not a Gard Rhodanien site application or an issued opinion.
Checking notes
ASNR reports that Hexana requested an opinion on a first safety option for its small modular reactor on 30 September 2026. The page places this in pre-instruction safety-options exchanges. This is a design assessment request, not a Gard Rhodanien site application, construction permission or issued opinion.
· Recorded development
Holtec says Pioneer safety analysis report completes permit application part 2 #
Holtec reported that the preliminary safety analysis report completed the second part of its phased construction-permit application for Pioneer Units 1 and 2. No limited work authorization or construction permit is recorded.
NRC draft safety evaluation report: 31 August 2026. Press anticipated an LWA safety evaluation in December 2026.
Checking notes
Holtec reported that the preliminary safety analysis report completed the second part of its phased construction-permit application. Press anticipated a later limited-work-authorization safety evaluation in December 2026, while the NRC milestone table already lists a draft safety evaluation report with information gaps on 31 August 2026; these are dated reports, not a new permission. No LWA or construction permit is recorded.
· Environmental decision recorded
DOE approves environmental determination for PWR-5 Phase 1 testing at RELLIS #
DOE approved a NEPA determination for proposed PWR-5 Phase 1 initial criticality and low-power testing, bounded at 100 kWth, fewer than 1,000 cumulative operating hours and no grid export. This is not DOE startup authorization or proof that criticality occurred.
Checking notes
DOE approved NEPA determination DOE-ID-26-008 on 30 September 2026 for proposed PWR-5 Phase 1 initial criticality and low-power testing at RELLIS. The Phase 1 research configuration is bounded at 100 kWth, fewer than 1,000 cumulative operating hours and no grid export. The 19.5 MWth PWR-5 design point applies to later phases. This environmental decision is not DOE startup authorization, proof of achieved criticality, or authorization for later phases.
Published · Announcement
INL reports Radiant completed the first DOME test #
INL published a statement reporting that Radiant completed the first DOME test. INL gives no completion day, achieved power or scope of completion.
Checking notes
This is the publication date of INL’s statement, not the physical completion date. INL supplies no completion day, achieved power or scope of completion; no operating-stage promotion or final authorization is inferred.
Notice updated · Recorded development
Véron newcleo proposal: CNDP says the debate reports are available #
A CNDP notice says the debate reports are available. It gives newcleo and RTE until 30 December to explain how they take the debate into account and communicate their decision. The 30 December date is not a regulator's licensing-decision deadline.
Notice posted 29 September, updated 30 September 2026. Chairman's assessment dated 1 October 2026.
Checking notes
The CNDP notice, posted on 29 September and updated on 30 September 2026, says the debate reports are available. This event dates the notice update, not the publication of each report. The linked chairman's assessment separately bears 1 October 2026. The notice gives newcleo and RTE until 30 December to explain how they take the debate into account and communicate their decision; this is not a regulator's licensing-decision deadline.
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