A southeast Ohio energy developer is trying to plug a new fleet of small modular reactors straight into the PJM grid from the banks of the Ohio River.
Elementl Power has formally asked PJM Interconnection to accept power from a planned nuclear site in Meigs County, filing for permission to inject the first 600 megawatts from a proposed 1.5 gigawatt project. The plant would sit on roughly 700 acres along the river in Letart Township, with an early works deal in place to use GE Vernova Hitachi BWRX-300 modular reactors. Elementl says it is aiming to start construction in 2030 and have the first unit operating by about 2034.
In a press release from Elementl Power, the company said it has signed an Early Works Agreement with GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy to deploy BWRX-300 units, agreed to purchase the Meigs County site from American Municipal Power, and submitted a request to PJM to connect the first 600 MW to the regional transmission system. Elementl said PJM will review the application and that it expects a response later this year. The release also described the approximately 700-acre riverfront site and emphasized that the project would be privately financed if it moves forward.
Elementl Chairman and CEO Chris Colbert said in the release from Elementl Power, "Elementl builds partnerships to accelerate the financing and delivery of reliable, clean, around-the-clock nuclear power." The company again stressed that it intends to rely on private capital rather than charge electric customers through their rates.
What Elementl Is Proposing
Elementl says the Meigs County site is designed to host five BWRX-300 modules, each roughly 300 MW, for a total capacity of about 1.5 GW. The current PJM filing covers only the first 600 MW of that buildout.
As reported by POWER, Elementl has agreed to buy the property from American Municipal Power and is targeting a construction start on the first unit in 2030, with commercial operation of that initial reactor around 2034.
Why The PJM Filing Matters
PJM’s retooled interconnection cycle has attracted a crush of new projects, and the grid operator says the latest intake includes a mix of emerging technologies, explicitly listing small nuclear reactors among them. According to PJM, the cycle is meant to give priority to projects that are further along and more likely to reach construction, while the overall queue is swelling in response to growing demand from data centers and industrial load.
Timeline, Approvals And Risks
Even with a green light from PJM on interconnection, Elementl would still face a long regulatory road. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission must approve licensing and environmental reviews, and Ohio permits would run through the Ohio Power Siting Board.
The NRC’s licensing pathways for new reactors can be lengthy and complex, involving combined licenses or multi-step construction permits along with environmental impact statements, according to the NRC. Elementl’s technology partner points to GE Vernova Hitachi’s work at the Darlington site in Ontario, where the company says the first BWRX-300 is expected to enter service by late 2029, a milestone touted as a real-world proof point for the reactor design, according to GE Vernova Hitachi.
Local Reaction And Next Steps
Local and state economic development officials have signaled cautious support, eyeing both a construction boom and long-term operating jobs if Meigs County lands the project. Coverage has also noted that Elementl received early-stage capital from Google to help prepare potential sites, a partnership that supported site selection work and related studies, as reported by World Nuclear News.
For now, the main clock to watch is PJM’s interconnection review schedule, with projects in this cycle moving through on an approximate one to two-year timeline. Clearing the interconnection queue would be a major milestone, but it is only one of several regulatory and permitting hurdles that must fall before any ground is broken along the Ohio River.
