The Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a collective $94 million in federal cost-shared funding to eight companies to support the near-term deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs).
Announced Thursday, DOE said the advanced, light-water SMRs will bolster nuclear energy generation in the 2030s to expand U.S. power grid capacity to meet increased demand – driven in part by artificial intelligence (AI).
The funds were awarded under the Generation III+ SMR Pathway to Deployment Program, a $900 million DOE initiative launched last year to accelerate nuclear energy development and deployment. The companies receiving SMR funds are:
- Constellation SMR Development
- Nebraska Public Power District
- BWXT Nuclear Energy
- Container Technologies Industries
- Framatome U.S. Government Solutions
- Global Nuclear Fuel Americas
- North American Forgemasters Company
- Scot Forge Company
Constellation SMR Development and Nebraska Public Power District were collectively awarded more than $45 million to obtain U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission early site permits for future deployments of SMRs. The other six companies received funds to support supply chain development.
“President [Donald] Trump has made clear that America is going to build more energy, not less, and nuclear is central to that mission,” said Energy Secretary Chris Wright. “Advanced light-water SMRs will give our nation the reliable, round-the-clock power we need to fuel the President’s manufacturing boom, support data centers and AI growth, and reinforce a stronger, more secure electric grid. These awards ensure we can deploy these reactors as soon as possible.”
DOE said the awards align with executive orders signed by Trump in May 2025 that aim to accelerate nuclear energy development by fourfold over current production levels in the next 25 years. The awards come amid rising energy prices across the nation and warnings from DOE that without a boost to the energy grid, the United States’ demand for power could outpace supply in the next five years.
The surge in demand is largely due to the massive power requirements of AI data centers. According to the International Energy Agency, a hyperscale, AI-focused data center can use 100 megawatts annually – or enough energy needed to power 100,000 households.