US Tennessee Valley Authority Accelerates Negotiations to Deploy Small Modular Reactors at Alabama Bellefonte Site

The US Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) confirmed it is in active negotiations with industry partners to develop a new nuclear power generation project at the long-idle Bellefonte Nuclear Plant site in North Alabama. TVA Interim CEO Mike Skaggs stated at a nuclear industry conference in Knoxville, Tennessee, that the negotiations are progressing at a “rapid pace,” with a focus on partnering with GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy to build small modular reactors at Bellefonte in Alabama and the Clinch River nuclear site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

TVA emphasized in a statement that no final investment or construction decisions have been made yet, but multiple potential sites and technology pathways are being evaluated. Small modular reactors are listed as one of the candidate options, with GE Vernova Hitachi being a key partner it is engaging with; discussions between the two parties include deploying multiple BWRX-300 units at Bellefonte. TVA stated that these negotiations involve one of the most complex energy agreements in its history, with the goal of siting new nuclear facilities across the Tennessee Valley region while meeting emerging electricity demand, including from data centers.

The Bellefonte Nuclear Plant is located in Hollywood, Jackson County, Alabama, approximately 45 miles east of Huntsville. The project was once part of TVA's large-scale nuclear construction program but was halted in 1988 after 14 years and billions of dollars invested. Of the 17 large reactors TVA planned at the time, 10 were ultimately never completed, and Bellefonte was one of them. Now, with growing US electricity demand and a renewed policy environment for nuclear energy, this idle asset has re-entered the development pipeline.

These negotiations also align with the broader US push to advance the advanced nuclear supply chain. Reports noted that the Trump administration previously advanced a $40 billion trade arrangement involving Japanese investment in US advanced reactors. TVA hopes to support US nuclear industry growth through projects such as Bellefonte and establish a model for future nuclear development. Skaggs indicated that the likelihood of advancing these projects is “fairly good,” reflecting TVA's relatively positive stance on new nuclear deployment.

In addition to Bellefonte, TVA is also in discussions with Houston-based Entra1 Energy to build small modular reactors near an unfinished nuclear plant site in Hartsville, Tennessee. This indicates that TVA is not betting on a single location but is positioning itself across multiple legacy nuclear assets and new technology options to enhance the safety, reliability, and resilience of its power system.