The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday approved a nuclear reactor construction permit for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). 

The permit is for a small modular reactor at the authority's Clinch River site in Oak Ridge. Once built, according to a statement from the NRC, it will be the nation's first commercial small modular reactor. 

“Today’s Clinch River decision demonstrates that the new NRC can make rigorous and credible safety decisions that enable major American nuclear projects to move forward," NRC Chair Ho K. Nieh said in a statement. 

The reactor will be a 300-megawatt GE Veranova Hitachi boiling-water reactor, and it will help meet the region's growing power demands. Before the reactor can be brought fully online, the TVA will need to obtain a separate operating license from the NRC.