US-based Geenex Power Unveils SMR Nuclear Plan for Amherst County, Virginia: Up to 650 MW Capacity, Construction Targeted for 2030

Charlotte, North Carolina-based clean energy developer Geenex Power officially announced on October 6, 2026, that it plans to build an advanced small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear project with a capacity of up to 650 megawatts——“Beck Creek Energy”——in Amherst County, Virginia.

During the routine public inquiry session held by the Amherst County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, Geenex Project Development Manager Delany·Bolton and Director of External Affairs Chris·Hallameyer disclosed the project plans to local regulators and the public for the first time, and announced the launch of a dedicated information website (BeckCreekEnergy.com). Geenex stated that it will hold a series of intensive community information sessions and stakeholder roundtable discussions over the coming months to ensure information transparency and open dialogue during the project's early environmental feasibility assessment and permitting phases.

It is understood that the Beck Creek Energy project is positioned as a multi-module advanced nuclear energy campus, designed to provide stable, carbon-free, and highly resilient baseload power to the regional grid. Although the specific coordinates of the site have not been fully disclosed due to land option confidentiality agreements, Bolton revealed that the site is located in District 1 of Amherst County, adjacent to the James River and near Appalachian Power's Joshua Falls substation in Campbell County. The key reason for selecting this area is its proximity to the substation's 138 kV high-voltage transmission lines, providing grid interconnection capacity to accommodate a 650 MW electrical load.

In terms of the commercial development model, Geenex, which has approximately 15 years of clean energy early-stage development experience, will primarily handle site pre-feasibility surveys, land option securing, local land rezoning, and state-level environmental permit applications; the project will subsequently partner with established nuclear reactor designers and nuclear power operating license holders to jointly advance unit selection, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) safety license review, and commercial operation of the plant. Depending on the reactor type and per-unit capacity, the total 650 MW output may ultimately be achieved through a flexible combination of a single or multiple SMR reactor modules.

According to the established timeline, Geenex plans to formally submit planning and land use permit applications to local government in 2027, followed by the simultaneous launch of joint licensing review procedures with Virginia's utility regulatory agency and the U.S. NRC, with construction expected to commence in earnest in the early 2030s. With the approval of the early construction permit for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Clinch River 300 MW SMR project, states in the eastern United States, driven by new high-energy-demand loads such as data centers, are accelerating the formation of a next-generation nuclear infrastructure deployment boom centered on modular small reactors.