Funding Notice: Generation III+ Small Modular Reactor Program

Office: Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations

Solicitation Number: DE-FOA-0003392

Access the Solicitation: OCED eXCHANGE

FOA Amount: Up to $900 million

Background Information

On October 16, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) opened applications for up to $900 million to support the initial U.S. deployments of Generation III+ (Gen III+) small modular reactor (SMR) technologies. The DOE plans to use this funding to spur the first Gen III+ SMR deployments in the U.S. and encourage fast follow-on reactor projects. 

Eligibility

For Tier 1, teams must include a U.S. utility, reactor technology vendor, and Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) company with the lead applicant being the utility, other end-user/off-taker, a development company, or incorporated consortium. 

Tier 2 funding is sorted into three different categories, for which applicants must be either planned project owners or utilities, or entities looking to improve the capability, capacity, or cost competitiveness of the domestic supply chain for Gen III+ SMRs. 

Download the solicitation for more information on eligibility.

Topic Areas

  • Tier 1: First Mover Team Support, managed by the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), will provide up to $800M to support up to two first mover teams of utility, reactor vendor, constructor, and end-users/off-takers committed to deploying a first plant while facilitating a multi-reactor, Gen III+ SMR orderbook and the opportunity to work with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to incorporate safeguards and security by design into the projects. 
  • Tier 2: Fast Follower Deployment Support, managed by the Office of Nuclear Energy (NE), will provide up to $100M to spur additional Gen III+ SMR deployments by addressing key gaps that have hindered the domestic nuclear industry in areas such as design, licensing, supplier development, and site preparation.

Funding

OCED expects to make one to two awards for a total of up to $800M for Tier 1. NE expects to make multiple awards for a total of up to $100M for Tier 2. Applicants will be asked to substantiate which milestones in their overall project would be funded, where federal cost-share cannot exceed 50% of the cost of the milestone. 

Download the full solicitation for more information.

Key Dates

Applications Open: 10/16/2024

Deadline for Full Applications: 1/17/2025 by 5 p.m., ET

Additional Information