Clinch River Nuclear Site Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technology Park Unit 1

Oak Ridge, Roane County, Tennessee

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has prepared the Clinch River Nuclear Site Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technology Park Unit 1 Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to address the potential environmental effects associated with site preparation, construction, operation, and decommissioning of one small modular reactor (SMR), the GE Hitachi BWRX-300, at TVA’s 935-acre Clinch River Nuclear (CRN) Site in Oak Ridge, Roane County, Tennessee. This SEIS tiers from the previous Clinch River Nuclear Site Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technology Park Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS). The SEIS updates the PEIS with new information about potential impacts related to the BWRX-300 and environmental resources in the areas to be disturbed and the surrounding vicinity.

The primary purpose of the proposed action is to demonstrate the feasibility to license, construct, and operate an SMR at the CRN Site. The proposed action is needed to support the recommendations outlined in TVA’s 2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to evaluate emerging nuclear technologies, including SMRs. This supports TVA’s technology innovation efforts aimed at developing future electricity generation capabilities and will enable TVA’s Board of Directors to consider next steps in TVA’s efforts to explore advanced reactor options that could, in part, be used to help TVA achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 while maintaining a firm, fixed, reliable power supply.

In preparation of the PEIS, TVA considered a range of alternatives for site preparation, construction, operation, and decommissioning of a Nuclear Technology Park at the CRN Site with up to 800 MWe generated by advanced nuclear reactors. Details regarding the various nuclear reactor designs and technologies considered by TVA, and the alternatives eliminated from consideration, including Alternative A – No Action, are incorporated by reference from the PEIS. This SEIS evaluates the environmental impacts associated with Alternative B1 – Construction, Operation, and Decommissioning of CRN-1 which includes site preparation, construction, operation, and decommissioning of one GE Hitachi BWRX-300 SMR at the CRN Site (CRN-1).

This Draft SEIS is developed in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), at 42 United States Code (USC) § 4321 et seq.; the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations implementing NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500-1508, as updated May 1, 2024); TVA’s corollary NEPA regulations at 18 CFR Part 1318; the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 (Public Law 118-5 - June 3, 2023); and associated guidance from various federal and state agencies.

The CRN Draft SEIS is available in the Related Documents section below.

Public Involvement

On January 31, 2025, TVA released the Draft SEIS for a 45-day public comment period. Comments were accepted through March 18, 2025.

TVA hosted a virtual public webinar on February 25, from 5:30-7:30 pm EST and hosted a public open house on February 27, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. ET, at the East Tennessee Economic Council, 1201 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN 3783. The recording and presentation from the webinar and posters from the open house are available at the links below.

Virtual Webinar Recording

Virtual Webinar Presentation

Open House Posters

Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision

On September 29, 2022, TVA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for site preparation, construction, operation, and decommissioning of various facilities at an advanced nuclear reactor technology park containing one or more advanced nuclear reactors with a cumulative output not to exceed 800 megawatts electric at TVA’s Clinch River Nuclear (CRN) Site in Oak Ridge, Roane County, Tennessee. TVA prepared the CRN Site Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), assessing the environmental impacts associated with the proposed action.

TVA has decided to implement the Preferred Alternative identified in the PEIS, Alternative D – Nuclear Technology Park at Area 1 and Area 2 with Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and/or Advanced Non-Light Water Reactors (Non-LWRs). This decision provides the necessary flexibility in achieving the purpose and need of the project to support TVA’s goal of demonstrating the feasibility of deploying advanced nuclear reactor technologies at the CRN Site capable of incrementally supplying clean, secure, and reliable power that is less vulnerable to disruption.

The PEIS is provided in accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) regulations for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) at 40 CFR parts 1500-1508 and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and its implementing regulations (36 CFR Part 800). The PEIS will be prepared consistent with the 2020 CEQ regulations for implementing NEPA at 40 CFR parts 1500-1508 (85 FR 43304-43376, July 16, 2020).

Previous Public Involvement

Public scoping was initiated with the publication of the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare a Draft PEIS in the Federal Register on February 5, 2021. Additionally, TVA posted a public notice about the scoping period and information regarding the Draft PEIS on tva.com/nepa. A public scoping period was held from February 2 to March 19, 2021, and a virtual open house on March 1, 2021.

After consideration of comments received during the scoping period, TVA developed a Scoping Report that summarized public and agency comments that were received and identified the schedule for completing the EIS process. The scoping report was released in June 2021. 

On February 18, 2022, TVA released the Draft PEIS for a 45-day public comment period and a virtual open house on March 7, 2022. TVA received 18 formal comment submissions from members of the public, local government, and state and federal agencies. TVA’s responses to these comments are included in Appendix D of the CRN Final PEIS.

Clinch River Site Overview Video

​​