North Alabama is expected to become home to small modular nuclear reactors as part of a $40 billion U.S.-Japan energy partnership announced last week.

The deal, part of a broader $550 billion Japanese investment package tied to a U.S.-Japan trade agreement, calls for GE Vernova-Hitachi to deploy BWRX-300 small modular reactors in Alabama and Tennessee.

The dormant Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in Hollywood, roughly 45 miles east of Huntsville, is the expected Alabama site for the project.

The combined Alabama and Tennessee initiative targets a total electrical capacity of 3 gigawatts — enough to power between 200,000 and 300,000 homes. Each reactor would produce 300 megawatts of power.

The U.S. Department of Commerce said the project aligns with the Trump administration’s energy dominance agenda.

“The groundbreaking commercial deployment of the advanced SMRs in the U.S. will serve as a next-generation stable power source, stabilizing electricity prices for the American people and strengthening US leadership in global technological competition,” the department said in a fact sheet.

U.S. Rep. Dale Strong (R-Huntsville), whose district includes the Bellefonte site, welcomed the announcement.

“Alabama has a strong history of supporting nuclear energy initiatives, and our second-to-none workforce stands ready to deliver on advanced energy innovation,” Strong said.

The BWRX-300 is a 300-megawatt boiling water reactor designed to be built faster and at lower cost than traditional nuclear plants. The reactors are expected to provide dedicated baseload power for Alabama’s automotive and aerospace manufacturing hubs and help offset the retirement of older coal-fired units.

The Bellefonte site has a long history of stalled nuclear development. The Tennessee Valley Authority began construction there in the 1970s but halted the project in 1988 after a combined $6 billion investment, leaving the plant unfinished.

Sawyer Knowles is a capitol reporter for 256 Today and Yellowhammer News.