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DOE Awards $94M to Speed Small Modular Reactor Deployment
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded more than $94 million to eight American companies to accelerate small modular reactor deployment. A move that gives the nuclear sector a fresh push as power demand rises across manufacturing, data centers, and industrial infrastructure.
Announced on May 14, the cost-shared funding will support advanced light-water small modular reactors, known as Gen III+ SMRs. The projects target several pressure points that have slowed new nuclear development. Included are licensing, site preparation, fuel production, heavy-component manufacturing, and domestic supply chain capacity.
This matters because of the fast-climbing electricity demand. AI campuses, advanced manufacturing plants, electrified transport, and grid modernization all need reliable power. This has caused renewed attention to nuclear energy because of round-the-clock generation without depending on weather conditions.
Two of the awards focus on early site preparation. Constellation SMR Development received funding to pursue an approved early site permit for a future reactor location in New York. Nebraska Public Power District received the largest award in the group, nearly $27.9 million, for a similar permitting effort in Nebraska.
The remaining projects move deeper into the industrial base. BWXT Nuclear Energy will procure equipment for final reactor pressure vessel assembly and large nuclear component production in Indiana. Framatome will expand fuel fabrication capacity in Washington, while Global Nuclear Fuel Americas will add a second fuel rod production line and automate pellet inspection in North Carolina.
For manufacturers, the forging and machining awards may be just as interesting. American Forgemasters will procure a new furnace in Pennsylvania for large component forgings, and Scot Forge will install a large vertical turning lathe and gantry-style milling machine in Illinois. Those investments point to the scale and precision needed behind future reactor builds.
In practical terms, the funding is not only about reactor design. It is about preparing the factories, machines, permits, fuel lines, and skilled teams needed to make deployment possible.
If these projects advance as planned, SMRs could become a more flexible option for new nuclear capacity in the 2030s, especially in regions looking for dependable power and stronger domestic energy infrastructure.
Article & Source: U.S. Department of Energy
