# Is the SMR Industry Accelerating in August 2026?

Nine distinct partnerships, acquisitions, and regulatory milestones landed in a single ANS industry update published August 6, 2026 — a volume of concurrent activity that signals the advanced nuclear sector is moving from design iteration toward supply-chain assembly and licensing execution simultaneously. The headlines span I&C contracting for [NuScale Power](https://smrintel.com/companies/nuscale-power)'s 77-MWe module, the resurrection of [BWX Technologies](https://smrintel.com/companies/bwxt)' suspended mPower design, [Oklo Inc.](https://smrintel.com/companies/oklo)'s acquisition of a precision manufacturing firm, [TerraPower](https://smrintel.com/companies/terrapower)'s entry into UK generic design assessment, and [Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd](https://smrintel.com/companies/rolls-royce-smr)'s selection of nuclear island component suppliers for European deployment. What ties them together: every deal is supply-chain or licensing infrastructure, not concept development. The industry is no longer debating whether SMRs work — it is locking in the industrial base to build them.

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## NuScale Awards Paragon the I&C Design Contract for Its 77-MWe Module

The most technically specific announcement in the batch is NuScale's contract award to Paragon Energy Solutions, a Mirion Technologies company, for final design development of Paragon's Highly Integrated Protection System (HIPS). The scope covers three instrumentation and control systems built on the HIPS platform: the module protection system, the safety display and indication system, and the plant protection system.

The 77-MWe NuScale Power Module supports a single control room operating as many as 12 modules — a configuration that demands I&C architecture capable of handling multi-unit coordination without proportionally scaling operator workload. HIPS is designed for that environment. Paragon's deliverables under the contract are described as nonrecurring engineering and design deliverables, which in nuclear procurement language means the one-time design costs that must be amortized across a fleet to drive LCOE down.

The significance here extends beyond NuScale. HIPS is a digital I&C platform with potential applicability across multiple reactor designs. A completed, NRC-engaged design package for a 12-module SMR installation sets a reference architecture that the broader industry — including developers working under the NRC's Part 53 framework — will watch closely. Digital I&C remains one of the more contentious licensing surfaces in U.S. nuclear regulation, and Paragon completing this work for NuScale's specific configuration advances the state of practice.

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## mPower Is Back: Applied Atomics Licenses the Suspended BWXT Design

Development of BWXT's mPower SMR was suspended in 2017 when Bechtel withdrew from the joint venture. Nearly a decade later, Applied Atomics has secured exclusive rights to use the mPower technology for commercial deployment of terrestrial nuclear facilities in the United States, Canada, and elsewhere.

The arrangement preserves BWXT's ownership of mPower and exclusive manufacturing rights for all mPower components. BWXT retains royalty rights for components manufactured by Applied Atomics or third parties. Applied Atomics' obligations include reengaging the NRC to resume the [NRC design certification](https://smrintel.com/glossary/design-certification) process and developing site-specific engineering protocols.

In a separate but related development, Core Power is conducting a feasibility study on incorporating mPower into floating nuclear power plants. The study scope includes baseline information exchange, systems engineering, concept of operations development, product requirements definition, regulatory pathway assessment, marine integration studies, and techno-economic analysis.

The skeptical read: mPower was shelved because the economics didn't pencil at the time. Applied Atomics is betting that tightened power markets, data center demand, and a more favorable NRC licensing environment (including Part 53) change that calculus. The Core Power floating application is technically ambitious but adds regulatory complexity on top of an already-paused design certification. Both bets are long-dated. The value of the announcement is that it keeps the mPower intellectual property active and in the licensing pipeline rather than permanently archived.

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## Oklo Acquires ARMEC to Internalize Manufacturing Capability

[Oklo Inc.](https://smrintel.com/companies/oklo) has acquired ARMEC, described as a precision manufacturing and engineering firm with more than two decades of experience in nuclear and industrial manufacturing. Oklo states the acquisition expands in-house capabilities for its advanced reactor and fuel-manufacturing programs, supports faster design-to-manufacturing feedback, and provides additional control over key elements of its deployment timeline.

This is a strategically coherent move for a company whose reactor design — a compact fast spectrum system — requires tight tolerances and non-standard fuel forms. Internalizing manufacturing feedback loops is particularly valuable at the [first-of-a-kind (FOAK)](https://smrintel.com/glossary/foak) stage, where the distance between design intent and fabrication reality is highest. The acquisition also positions Oklo to control a portion of its own fuel manufacturing program, which matters given the HALEU supply constraints facing fast spectrum reactor developers.

No acquisition price was disclosed in the source material.

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## TerraPower Enters UK Generic Design Assessment for Natrium

[TerraPower](https://smrintel.com/companies/terrapower) has announced the formal beginning of the regulatory review of its Natrium sodium-cooled fast reactor in the United Kingdom, and has established a UK subsidiary, TerraPower UK Ltd. The company's [Generic Design Assessment (UK)](https://smrintel.com/glossary/gda) application was accepted by the U.K. Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in February.

This follows NRC approval in March for construction of the first Natrium power plant and energy storage system in Kemmerer, Wyoming. TerraPower is now pursuing parallel licensing tracks in two jurisdictions — a resource-intensive strategy that implies confidence in the design's stability and commercial demand signals from the UK market. The Natrium system's integrated thermal energy storage component is a differentiating feature for grid operators managing variable renewable generation, and the UK's ongoing capacity challenges make it a plausible market.

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## Rolls-Royce SMR Names Nuclear Island Suppliers for European Fleet

[Rolls-Royce SMR Ltd](https://smrintel.com/companies/rolls-royce-smr) has selected Škoda JS of the Czech Republic and Doosan Enerbility of South Korea as suppliers of nuclear island components for its SMR program in Europe. The scope includes pre-production work — including work for the reactor pressure vessel body — early supplier engagement, design finalization, and manufacturing readiness.

Rolls-Royce SMR plans to deploy first units at Wylfa in Wales and at Temelín in the Czech Republic. The selection of both a Czech and a South Korean supplier reflects a deliberate localization strategy: Škoda JS brings proximity to the Temelín site and deep Czech nuclear manufacturing heritage; Doosan Enerbility brings proven large-component fabrication capacity from its work on APR-1400 and other reactor programs.

The dual-supplier approach reduces single-point-of-failure risk in the supply chain — a lesson the industry absorbed from the delays that plagued large reactor builds when specialized component manufacturers couldn't meet schedule.

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## HanmiGlobal and GVH-Velan Round Out the Week

South Korean construction management company HanmiGlobal is forming a U.S.-based project development company to manage the full SMR project cycle — planning, licensing, engineering, procurement, construction, and grid connection. The entity is explicitly designed to serve as a platform connecting Korean nuclear supply chain companies with U.S. customers, a positioning that makes it a potential intermediary for KHNP-adjacent technology and supply chains in the American market.

[GE Vernova / GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy](https://smrintel.com/companies/ge-vernova) has formalized a collaboration with valve manufacturer Velan to supply reactor integral isolation valves and containment isolation valves for BWRX-300 projects in Europe, building on Velan's existing role at the Darlington New Nuclear Project in Ontario. GVH's European BWRX-300 pipeline includes projects in Poland in collaboration with Orlen Synthos Green Energy.

Finally, Deep Fission has partnered with Day Zimmermann's Maintenance and Construction Division for preconstruction planning and aboveground construction work on its Gravity reactor — a design intended for installation approximately one mile underground at the Great Plains Industrial Park in Parsons, Kansas. The project is part of the DOE's Reactor Pilot Program.

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## What This Week's Deals Signal for the Industry

The aggregate picture from this single week's announcements: the SMR industry's center of gravity has shifted from paper designs to supply-chain contracting. Paragon completing HIPS engineering, Rolls-Royce locking in RPV suppliers, Oklo internalizing manufacturing, and GVH formalizing valve supply agreements are all acts of industrial commitment — they involve spending real money against specific technical requirements.

The mPower revival and Deep Fission underground reactor are the outliers — earlier-stage bets that require regulatory re-engagement before supply chains become relevant. But even these announcements reflect a broader dynamic: the power demand surge driven by data center load growth and electrification has expanded the addressable market enough that previously uneconomic designs are worth revisiting.

The pace of international activity — UK GDA for Natrium, Rolls-Royce's European dual-supplier strategy, HanmiGlobal's U.S. entry, GVH's Poland pipeline — confirms that advanced nuclear competition is now genuinely global, and that U.S. developers face supply-chain and regulatory competition from well-capitalized Korean and European players operating on parallel timelines.

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## Key Takeaways

- **NuScale** awarded Paragon Energy Solutions the final design development contract for HIPS I&C covering three systems for the 77-MWe, up-to-12-module configuration.
- **mPower is back**: Applied Atomics licensed BWXT's suspended SMR design for U.S., Canadian, and international commercial deployment; Core Power is separately studying mPower for floating nuclear applications.
- **Oklo acquired ARMEC**, a precision nuclear manufacturing firm, to internalize design-to-fabrication feedback for its advanced reactor and fuel programs.
- **TerraPower entered UK GDA** for its Natrium sodium-cooled fast reactor and established TerraPower UK Ltd, running parallel to U.S. NRC construction approval in March.
- **Rolls-Royce SMR** named Škoda JS and Doosan Enerbility as nuclear island component suppliers for Wylfa and Temelín deployments.
- **HanmiGlobal** is forming a U.S. SMR project development company to connect Korean supply chain participants with American customers.
- **Deep Fission** partnered with Day Zimmermann for its underground Gravity reactor at Parsons, Kansas, under the DOE Reactor Pilot Program.

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## Frequently Asked Questions

**What is the HIPS platform that Paragon Energy Solutions is delivering for NuScale?**
HIPS (Highly Integrated Protection System) is a digital instrumentation and control platform. Under NuScale's contract, Paragon will complete final design development for three systems built on HIPS: the module protection system, the safety display and indication system, and the plant protection system — all for the 77-MWe NuScale Power Module in a configuration supporting up to 12 modules from a single control room.

**Why was BWXT's mPower SMR suspended, and what has changed?**
mPower development was suspended in 2017 when Bechtel withdrew from the joint venture. Applied Atomics has now licensed the technology from BWXT, which retains ownership and exclusive manufacturing rights. Applied Atomics plans to reengage the NRC to resume design certification. The changed context includes higher power demand, data center load growth, and an evolving NRC licensing framework under Part 53.

**What is Oklo acquiring ARMEC for?**
Oklo acquired ARMEC — a precision manufacturing firm with more than two decades of nuclear and industrial manufacturing experience — to expand in-house manufacturing capability, accelerate design-to-manufacturing feedback, and gain greater control over its deployment timeline for both its advanced reactor and fuel-manufacturing programs.

**Where is TerraPower's Natrium reactor in the regulatory process?**
As of August 2026, Natrium has NRC approval for construction of the first U.S. plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming (approved March 2026) and has entered the UK Generic Design Assessment process, with the GDA application accepted by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in February 2026. TerraPower has also established a UK subsidiary, TerraPower UK Ltd.

**Which suppliers did Rolls-Royce SMR select for nuclear island components?**
Rolls-Royce SMR selected Škoda JS of the Czech Republic and Doosan Enerbility of South Korea. Both will carry out pre-production work including work for the reactor pressure vessel body, early supplier engagement, design finalization, and manufacturing readiness for deployments planned at Wylfa in Wales and Temelín in the Czech Republic.