The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the largest public power company in the United States, is moving ahead with plans to build small nuclear power plants to boost electricity supply and meet rising energy demand.

The company said it is partnering with several energy developers to build Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) — compact nuclear plants that produce clean power and can be built faster and cheaper than traditional reactors.

TVA supplies electricity to around 10 million people across Tennessee and six neighboring states. It says the new reactors will help meet the growing power needs of industries and technology companies such as Google, Meta, and xAI, which are building more data centers in the region.

One of the biggest projects under development could generate up to 6,000 megawatts of power, while another is already planned for Oak Ridge, Tennessee, using GE Hitachi’s small reactor design.

The U.S. government is also supporting the project through potential funding of about $800 million to speed up construction. If everything goes as planned, TVA expects the first of the new reactors to begin operation by 2033.

Officials say the small nuclear plants will help reduce pollution, strengthen energy reliability, and create new jobs in the clean energy sector.