SMR 스타트업 블루에너지와 GE 베르노바-히타치는 가스-원자력 하이브리드 원자로 설계에 대한 연방 건설 인가를 신청 중이다.
The BWRX-300 small modular reactor is currently undergoing preliminary design and pre-construction processes in partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority at the Clinch River nuclear site. TVA has also submitted a construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Despite billions of dollars being invested in advanced reactor startups, no SMRs have yet received full approval or begun construction in the United States. To help accelerate the pathway toward future operations, the Trump Administration’s U.S. Department of Energy has established a pilot program encouraging SMR and advanced reactor developers to streamline their regulatory and deployment timelines.
Federal NRC applications typically require years to process before construction and environmental permits are issued. Other developers, including X-energy, already have pending permit applications with the commission. Nevertheless, advancing a project to the federal regulatory stage marks a significant milestone for SMR startups.
“This filing is an important step in turning our vision for repeatable, scalable, rapidly built new nuclear into a real project,” said Jake Jurewicz, CEO and co-founder of Blue Energy. “Our team has moved from technology selection to the NRC construction permitting process in a matter of months, and we are proud of the progress we are making with GE Vernova. We believe combining Blue Energy’s approach to project development and construction with the BWRX-300 can create a faster, more repeatable path to deploying new nuclear power in the United States.”
Because nuclear reactors produce zero carbon emissions at the point of use, Blue Energy selected the BWRX-300 design to co-locate with gas turbines earlier this year. The Port of Victoria project will be developed in two phases. The first phase will prioritize the gas turbines, which are expected to be the quickest to install and commission by the end of this decade. The second phase will likely include up to five BWRX-300 units, each generating approximately 300 megawatts at full capacity. Over time, the SMR deployment is intended to handle the majority of Blue Energy’s power generation capacity, with the gas-fired units eventually phased out or scaled back to further eliminate greenhouse gas emissions.
The total project cost is estimated at more than $6 billion. French multinational banking firm Société Générale is serving as the lead financial advisor for Blue Energy on the Port of Victoria plan. Additional strategic investors include Constellation Technology Ventures, VXI, Engine Ventures, At One Ventures, and Tamarack Global.
“We are excited to partner with Blue Energy on this groundbreaking mandate, which represents an important milestone in unlocking the ability to deploy private capital markets that can accelerate advanced nuclear just like it has for wind, solar, and battery technologies, to meet the world’s evolving energy and infrastructure needs,” said Kim Hill, transaction lead at Société Générale.
According to federal statistics, conventional nuclear energy currently accounts for approximately 18% of the U.S. utility-scale electricity resource mix. For years, the sector struggled under pressure from rising operational costs, competition from natural gas and renewables, and stagnant grid load growth. However, the rapid expansion of data center supercomputing—driven by artificial intelligence and industrial automation demands—has sparked a perceived power crisis that threatens both grid stability and sustainability targets. Consequently, many industry leaders argue that carbon-free nuclear power provides a reliable baseload and sustainable solution.
Critics, however, maintain that SMRs and traditional nuclear facilities remain prohibitively expensive and time-intensive to build, while raising ongoing health and safety concerns.