NRC Approves NuScale Power’s Uprated Small Modular Reactor Design

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved NuScale Power’s 77 megawatt-electric (MWe) reactor design.  

The company’s uprated power module is now the second small modular reactor (SMR) design approved by the NRC—marking another major licensing milestone for the U.S. nuclear sector.   

Powering Up 

NuScale Power submitted its standard design application to the NRC on New Year’s Day back in 2023 seeking a power uprate to 77 MWe for each power module, with a total plant power output of 462 MWe.  

The design builds on the company’s 50-MWe design, which was certified the same year, becoming just the seventh reactor design cleared for use in the United States by the NRC.  

NuScale’s power plant can house to up to six factory-built power modules that together are about a third of the size of a large-scale reactor.  

The advanced light-water systems leverage natural processes, such as convection and gravity, to passively cool the reactor without additional water, power, or even operator action.