First Small-Scale US Nuclear Plant Project Canceled Amid Financial Troubles

Declining commitment from utilities and inflated project costs prompted project developers NuScale Power and Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems to terminate their 462-megawatt Idaho Falls plant project, despite receiving $1.4 billion funding from the Department of Energy.

The first small-scale US nuclear reactor project, under development by NuScale Power and Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems, has been canceled due to financial difficulties and dwindling commitment from utilities.
Despite receiving a $1.4 billion funding from the Department of Energy, inflated project costs and a 50% surge in projected costs led to the termination of the 462-megawatt Idaho Falls plant project.
The plant, known as the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP), was seen as a new frontier in nuclear technology offering a potential solution to reduce carbon emissions; however, increased costs and risks associated with the project diminished its feasibility and less than 25% of its output was committed.
While the project's failure has been critiqued by SMR skeptics, NuScale CEO John Hopkins views the project as a 'tremendous success', as the advances made matter more than the fate of an individual plant.
Despite the project setback, NuScale continues to have plans for building reactors in Romania, powering data centers, and has other domestic and international customers lined up for its Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology.