SMR NRC Approval Tracker: Every Reactor in the Pipeline

The only SMR with NRC design certification. Uprated 77 MWe US460 design received Standard Design Approval May 2025. Deployments planned in Romania (RoPower 462 MWe) and Poland.

1 MWe portable microreactor. DOE DARK safety documentation approved Feb 2026. Criticality target July 4, 2026 at INL DOME test bed. R-50 factory in Oak Ridge: 50 units/year. Customers: Equinix (20 reactors), US Air Force.

Simplified boiling water reactor with natural circulation. Lead project under construction at OPG Darlington, Ontario, Canada — first SMR construction in North America (May 2025). Also far advanced in US NRC licensing for TVA Clinch River site.

Founded by Bill Gates. 345 MWe baseload with 500 MWe peak via molten salt energy storage. Lead project in Kemmerer, Wyoming — first utility-scale advanced nuclear plant in US. DOE cost-share up to $2B of $4B total. Meta deal for up to 8 plants (2.8 GW).

Non-power demonstration reactor. First advanced reactor to receive NRC construction permit (Dec 2023). Nuclear construction began May 2025 at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

NON-COMMERCIAL 10 MWe experimental microreactor at DOE's Idaho National Laboratory — built under DOE authorization, not a commercial NRC license. Ground broken Sept 2025. Final Design Review completed Jan 2026. Targeting criticality July 4, 2026. This is a test/demonstration unit at a DOE facility, distinct from commercially licensed reactors.

Helium-cooled TRISO-fueled high-temperature gas test reactor at Utah San Rafael Energy Research Center. Valar became the first startup to achieve cold criticality (Nov 2025). Targeting operation by July 4, 2026.

HTGR microreactor (0.1-1 MWe). Authorized under DOE Reactor Pilot Program. Ground broken, targeting criticality July 2026. $96M Series B raised December 2025.

15 MWe underground borehole PWR, scalable to 1.5 GWe. Authorized under DOE Reactor Pilot Program. Wells being drilled, targeting criticality July 2026.

1 MWt demonstration MSR — first molten salt reactor ever licensed by the NRC (construction permit received September 2024). Targeting criticality 2026. Commercial MSR-100 (100 MWe) to follow.

Uprated from SMR-160. Twin units planned at Palisades site with DOE $400M First Mover Award. NRC partial construction permit application accepted for docketing Feb 2026. Partner: Hyundai E&C.

Scaled-down version of the licensed and operating AP1000 design. Leverages proven technology and existing supply chain. Design certification anticipated 2027.

Commercial-scale fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor. Google 500 MW fleet PPA — first-ever US corporate SMR deal. First reactor targeted 2030.

Integral Molten Salt Reactor with fuel dissolved in salt coolant. Completed CNSC Phase 2 Vendor Design Review with no fundamental barriers. First NRC safety evaluation of a commercial MSR design.

80 MWe per module, 4-pack configuration yields 320 MWe. TRISO-X fuel facility (TX-1) NRC licensed Feb 2026. Dow Seadrift project: 4 units. Amazon/Energy Northwest: up to 12 units at Cascade facility. DOE ARDP award up to $1.2B.

Atmospheric pressure lead-cooled reactor with air-cooled power conversion. 8 test facilities operational in UK since 2023 under UK AMR Phase 2 program. Lead boiling point >1700C eliminates need for pressurization.

15 MWe initial, scaling to 50-75 MWe commercial. Broke ground at INL September 2025. DOE approved fuel fabrication facility. Meta deal for 1.2 GW power campus in Pike County, OH. Largest SMR company by market cap (~$12.9B).

Fully Ceramic Microencapsulated (FCM) TRISO fuel for enhanced safety. Deployment target at Chalk River, Ontario, Canada. 5 MWe output suitable for remote communities and industrial applications.

Solid core heat pipe microreactor. 1/5 scale test at NRIC DOME as early as 2026. Penn State University partnership for prototyping and educational deployment.

First publicly listed US nuclear microreactor company. Advancing toward formal licensing in US and Canada. MoU with EHC Investment (Abu Dhabi) for Gulf deployment. Cash position: $577.5M.

20 MWe mass-manufactured plug-and-play microreactor. 80+ commercial agreements in Europe, half for data centers. 30 microreactors in Haskell County, Texas for data centers. UK: 4 units in South Wales.

Shipyard-built molten salt reactor targeting Indonesia market. Early development stage with regulatory engagement with Indonesian authorities.

Molten Chloride Salt Fast Reactor. Chloride salt coolant enables fast spectrum without solid fuel. Early-stage development.

BWXT Advanced Nuclear Reactor for military and defense applications. Active DOD contracts for mobile military microreactors under Project Pele. Also involved in NASA space nuclear applications.

5 MWe pilot reactor for demonstration at Texas A&M RELLIS campus. Joined DOE Reactor Pilot Program August 2025 via OTA. Stepping stone to PWR-20 commercial deployment.

50 MWe factory-manufactured commercial modular reactor purpose-built for behind-the-meter AI data center power. First nuclear-powered AI data center targeted 2027 in INL area.

First-ever startup to achieve nuclear criticality. Nova went critical November 17, 2025 — a historic milestone for the advanced reactor industry.

100 MWe commercial-scale MSR following MSR-1 demonstration. Leverages NRC-licensed MSR technology from Natura Resources.

1-5 MWe military transportable microreactor. TRISO fuel core delivered to INL December 2025. Electricity generation targeted 2028. US Department of Defense strategic capability.

265 MWe gas-cooled fast reactor with 30-year core life. Burns spent fuel and depleted uranium, converting waste into energy. Energy Multiplier Module design.

TRISO and HALEU fuel fabrication company. $186.5M in funding. Producing fuel since January 2026. Critical fuel supply infrastructure for advanced reactor fleet.