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Tennessee Valley Authority, other utilities look for $800 mln in federal financing to develop nuclear tech

U.S. governmentowned energy Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) said on Friday that it is looking for an $800 million grant from the Department of Energy ( DOE) to develop nuclear innovation.

The company, in collaboration with Duke Energy, American Electric Power and others, will use to receive funding under the DOE's Generation III+ Little Modular Reactor (SMR) Program.

WHY IT is necessary

The U.S. nuclear industry, which has faced growth difficulties in current years, is witnessing a rise in need as Big Tech seeks alternative energy sources for their power-intensive information centers, stimulated by the Biden administration's push for investment in cleaner energy sources.

With technologies such as SMRs, which are smaller-sized atomic power plants, utilizing nuclear energy can become more cost-efficient and easier to release than full-sized models, which can take decades to build.

CONTEXT

The program aims to speed up the development of new nuclear innovations by forming cost-shared collaborations with groups that include utility, reactor vendor, manufacturer, and end-users or power off-takers, according to the DOE's website.

The program also has access to up to $900 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted in 2021 under President Joe Biden.

WHAT'S NEXT

TVA stated the financing, if granted, would accelerate the building of GE Vernova's SMR innovation at TVA's. Clinch River project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, by two years,. targeting business operation prepared for 2033.

KEY PRICES QUOTE

Not just will this financing permit us to accelerate our own. SMR ambitions, but this partnership will also allow us to. collectively advance the whole industry, American Electric. Power's CEO Bill Fehrman stated.

Independently, Duke Energy stated it would work together as a group. to examine dangers and foster U.S. heavy production and supply. chain abilities, a move that could cause cost reductions. and cooperation throughout deployments.

(source: Reuters)