NuScale Power’s 77 MWe Small Modular Reactor Receives NRC Standard Design Approval, Marking Major Step Toward Commercial Deployment
NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE: SMR), a leading innovator in advanced nuclear energy, announced a significant regulatory milestone with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) granting Standard Design Approval (SDA) for its uprated 250 MW thermal (77 megawatts electric, or MWe) NuScale Power Module™. This latest approval underscores NuScale’s role at the forefront of the global shift toward clean, reliable, and safe nuclear energy via small modular reactor (SMR) technology.
A Pivotal Moment for U.S. Nuclear Innovation
The approval marks a historic and strategic advancement, not only for NuScale but for the entire SMR industry, as the company becomes the only one in the United States—and the world—with two different SMR designs approved by the NRC. The new 77 MWe design builds upon NuScale’s original and previously approved 50 MWe model, increasing the module’s electrical output by more than 50% without compromising the integrity or safety of the original design.
This approval significantly enhances the potential of SMRs as a versatile and scalable carbon-free energy source. It positions NuScale’s technology to meet a wider range of energy demands, from industrial users and electric utilities to remote communities and developing nations aiming to expand their energy access while minimizing carbon emissions.
ENTRA1 Energy: The Commercial Launchpad
With the NRC’s approval, NuScale’s partner, ENTRA1 Energy, is now equipped with an even more powerful SMR solution for deployment. ENTRA1 Energy, NuScale’s global commercialization and project development platform, holds exclusive rights to market, distribute, and build NuScale SMR-powered plants—referred to as ENTRA1 Energy Plants™—across the world.
ENTRA1 Energy is now uniquely positioned to become the first entity to bring an American-designed SMR to the global market. This partnership is designed to accelerate commercialization by creating a streamlined, vertically integrated path from technology to deployment. According to NuScale, this collaboration ensures that utilities and energy buyers will have a robust and proven solution by the end of this decade, with first deployments targeted for 2030.
A Long Road to Regulatory Success
NuScale’s journey to this milestone began over a decade ago. In March 2017, the NRC accepted NuScale’s first Design Certification Application (DCA) for its 160 MWt (50 MWe) SMR. After extensive technical evaluations, public commentary, and safety analyses, the NRC granted full design certification—the first of its kind for a small modular reactor. That certification set a precedent for how future SMR designs would be evaluated globally.
Building upon that foundation, the 77 MWe model retains the same core design and passive safety features as its predecessor but with targeted engineering enhancements and increased power output. NuScale filed the SDA application for the uprated design in early 2023, and the NRC’s early completion of the review—originally expected later in 2025—demonstrates both the maturity of NuScale’s technology and the NRC’s growing experience in regulating advanced nuclear systems.
Engineering a More Powerful SMR
The enhanced NuScale Power Module™ at the heart of the SDA approval is rated at 250 MWt (thermal energy), translating to 77 MWe (electrical power). This increase in output allows power plant developers to produce more electricity from each individual module, which in turn improves overall economics, efficiency, and flexibility. Power plants using the new modules can scale from a single unit up to 12 or more, depending on customer needs.
The uprated version preserves NuScale’s hallmark safety features, including natural circulation cooling, passive shutdown capability, and underground placement for enhanced security and protection. These features eliminate the need for external power or operator action in emergencies—critical for both safety and resilience.
According to NuScale, the upgraded module design underwent rigorous review to ensure compliance with the NRC’s safety and performance standards. As a result, the SDA confirms that the upgraded design is suitable for licensing and construction in the U.S., and it significantly enhances NuScale’s credibility in international markets that often look to the NRC as a gold standard in nuclear safety regulation.
Industry Reaction and Leadership Comments
“This is a historic moment not just for NuScale, but for the entire nuclear energy sector,” said John Hopkins, President and Chief Executive Officer of NuScale Power. “Our second design approval from the NRC, this time for our 77 MWe SMR, is a major validation of our technology and strategy. It brings us one step closer to delivering clean, safe, and affordable energy to consumers and off-takers around the world.”
Hopkins emphasized the broader significance of the approval, noting that NuScale’s work with the NRC over more than a decade represents an ongoing commitment to rigorous safety standards and regulatory transparency. “The NRC is one of the most respected regulatory bodies globally, and its approval reinforces the trust our customers and international partners place in us,” he added.
Carrie Fosaaen, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Services at NuScale, echoed this sentiment. “Navigating the NRC’s stringent regulatory application process for a second time is a major accomplishment,” she said. “Our team’s work with the NRC continues to set the standard for what a safe and reliable SMR technology should look like.”
Fosaaen also highlighted the benefits of the upgraded design for global deployment. “With this approval, we can now provide our partners and stakeholders with a more powerful SMR solution while maintaining the safety integrity that defines NuScale’s brand. It’s a leap forward for the entire clean energy ecosystem.”
A Path Forward: Deployment and Global Impact
With the 77 MWe design now approved, NuScale and ENTRA1 Energy are rapidly advancing toward commercialization. Several utility-scale and industrial customers have expressed interest in adopting NuScale’s SMR technology to decarbonize electricity generation, industrial heat production, and hydrogen production, among other applications.
By 2030, NuScale aims to have its first ENTRA1 Energy Plant in operation. Future sites are expected to include both U.S. and international locations, with advanced discussions already underway with multiple countries in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
The increased power output from the 77 MWe module offers customers greater flexibility to meet a range of use cases—from grid-scale electricity to off-grid industrial facilities, desalination plants, and even emergency backup for military or disaster relief operations.
NuScale’s SMRs are particularly well-suited for integration with renewable energy systems, serving as a steady, dispatchable source of baseload power that can complement intermittent sources like wind and solar. This makes them a powerful tool in the global transition to net-zero carbon energy.
