Financial assistance eligibility for efficient small modular reactor development, demonstration, and deployment

(a) In general Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Energy, in providing any funding assistance to support the development, demonstration, or deployment of grid-scale small modular reactors, shall not exclude from award eligibility projects or reactor technologies on the basis that a single reactor unit output exceeds any electrical megawatt threshold between 50 and 500 electrical megawatts. (b) Treatment of existing programs Nothing in this section shall be construed as limiting the authority of the Secretary of Energy to make awards within the explicit scope of Department of Energy solicitations issued prior to the date of enactment of this Act.