Roughly 100 area residents gathered at The Pollard Auditorium Center on Thursday, August 13, for a public meeting regarding the Tennessee Valley Authority’s proposed Clinch River Small Modular Reactor (SMR) project.

The event featured an open house, an NRC presentation explaining the review process, and a question-and-answer session with panelists representing the various agencies involved in the construction. The gathering served as part of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s required licensing process for TVA’s application to build Clinch River Nuclear Unit 1—a 300-megawatt GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 SMR at the Roane County site.

With NRC staff having already recommended issuing a construction permit for TVA’s first proposed commercial SMR, the meeting gave community members an opportunity to learn about the energy, employment, and economic implications, as well as submit official comments on the record.

Written comments on the project will continue to be accepted through August 27, 2026.