UIUC and NANO Nuclear reboot plans for a FOAK research reactor
Plans to bring a university research reactor like no other to the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) were punctuated last fall by the news that Ultra Safe Nuclear, the developer of the gas-cooled reactor technology selected for the Illinois Microreactor Project, had declared bankruptcy.
NANO Nuclear Energy closed on the acquisition of USNC’s micro modular reactor (MMR) technology and other reactor technologies in January, but it wasn’t until April 2 that UIUC and NANO were prepared to announce they had reached a “strategic collaboration” agreement.
Caleb Brooks, an associate professor with the Grainger College of Engineering’s Department of Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering (NPRE) and director of the Illinois Microreactor RD&D Center, called the agreement a “first step to rebuilding the partnerships for the Illinois Microreactor Demonstration Project.”
The NANO reboot: Nearly four years ago, in June 2021, UIUC announced it had submitted a letter of intent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to apply for a license to construct a USNC MMR. The university has been without a research reactor since 1998, when its TRIGA reactor was decommissioned.
After USNC’s bankruptcy in October 2024, NANO Nuclear acquired the MMR—now renamed the KRONOS MMR—and other reactor technology, while other USNC assets, including fuel manufacturing assets in Oak Ridge, Tenn., remained with USNC’s stalking horse bidder, Standard Nuclear.
“In the interim, we were able to keep the licensing work moving,” Brooks said. The university’s preapplication engagement with the NRC includes topical reports and white papers, some submitted after USNC’s bankruptcy.
Jay Yu is founder and chair of NANO Nuclear Energy. “With a site now selected and a world-class university as our partner, we are positioned to be among the first companies to deliver advanced reactor systems within the United States,” Yu said.
Yu is identified on the NANO Nuclear website as “a serial and leading U.S. advanced nuclear technology entrepreneur” and is also the chair and president of LIS Technologies, a laser enrichment technology developer. A NANO Nuclear subsidiary, HALEU Energy Fuel is “focused on the development and manufacture of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) for its reactors, and other SMR and microreactor companies,” and has a “strategic collaboration” with LIS Technologies.
Bringing a reactor back to campus: UIUC was the second U.S. university to host a TRIGA reactor, and it expects to be the first to host a helium-cooled, TRISO-fueled MMR to support missions in education, research, and power demonstration.
“We are very excited to announce this partnership and continue our mission to bring a reactor back to campus,” said Rizwan Uddin, professor and NPRE department head. “This microreactor project will elevate the level of research and education both in our department and our university.”
“The KRONOS MMR project isn’t just a first for this nation, it can be a first for academia by enabling students, researchers, regulators, and the public to learn directly from a real-world microreactor development effort,” said Brooks. “This system can be the most advanced nuclear research platform on any U.S. campus, with the potential to enable a new paradigm of nuclear power through education, research, and at-scale demonstration.”
As part of the agreement, UIUC will lead regulatory engagement and public engagement; support licensing activities, including the PSAR and environmental report; and “play a key role in site layout, constructability assessment, and future operator training programs” for the KRONOS MMR. NANO Nuclear will oversee plant design, construction, system integration, and commercial pathway development.
The mission: Brooks emphasized that the project’s mission is “to de-risk advanced reactor deployment and enable a new paradigm of nuclear power through education, research, and at-scale demonstration.”
Breaking that down, he emphasized workforce development, and public engagement, and added that “most importantly, our cross-cutting mission of at-scale demonstration brings together the education and research missions to demonstrate transformative impact of advanced nuclear for new applications such as integrating with existing fossil power infrastructure, thermal energy storage, and dedicated use for energy intensive applications like data centers and alternative fuels.”
Next steps: NANO Nuclear expects to begin work soon on geological characterization to support preparation of a research reactor construction permit application, preliminary safety analysis report, and environmental report.
A set of project FAQs has projected the reactor could be on line “in 2028/2029,” given “successful licensing by all governing bodies.” Asked if that timing held, Brooks confirmed that the project team “was successful in continuing critical path activities in our licensing engagement with the NRC,” and added that “with the new partnership of Nano Nuclear Energy, the full project schedule is under active refinement.”
When asked if the project will need funding from the DOE to move ahead, Brooks said, “The project will continue to seek partnerships from various stakeholders who can play an impactful role in executing on this important project. This project is well aligned with national, state, and private sector priorities for demonstration of clean, reliable power.”
