DOME is intended to “defray costs and accelerate American microreactor development and commercialization by providing reactor developers with access to a state-of-the-art containment structure for fueled advanced reactor experiments,” according to the DOE. NRIC estimates that over DOME’s operational lifespan of 20 years, a reactor could be tested “approximately every 12–24 months.”
Who can test? Reactor developers must fit certain parameters: DOME will only accept reactors for testing that use TRISO fuel enriched to less than 20 percent uranium-235, generate less than 20 MWt, and can prove their readiness. Any U.S. reactor developer—“either private industry or government agency”—may apply, and reactor developers must be able to foot the bill for testing.
Only one reactor can be tested at a time. The testing sequence will be based on criteria including reactor type and size, technology maturity level, fuel type and availability, regulatory approval plan, previous industry experiences, and funding source and viability.
While NRIC will recommend a testing sequence to the DOE, “DOE will determine the order of experiments in DOME.” NRIC anticipates sharing the schedule results “within four to six months” of receipt of the applications.
We’re watching this space: The EBR-II dome was scheduled for demolition in 2019, but that was the year INL identified its potential reuse as a reactor testing facility. In 2023, the DOE announced that three companies had received funding for front-end engineering and experiment design (FEEED) to prepare for testing in DOME. Two of the three—Radiant and Westinghouse—would go on to get $5 million in November 2024 to support their detailed engineering and experiment planning (DEEP) process “to progress their microreactor designs for testing” in DOME. Radiant and Westinghouse were among the five reactor developers named last month as recipients of high-assay low-enriched uranium to fuel reactor demonstrations (the other three were Kairos Power, TerraPower, and X-energy’s TRISO-X).
First dibs? Because the newly released DOME application makes no mention of the work already done by Radiant and Westinghouse, it’s not clear if they will get first dibs on DOME, and if so, which company would go first. Westinghouse said in November 2024 that it was first to submit a preliminary safety design report for DOME testing. Radiant said in April that it “is currently targeting its test of the Kaleidos demonstration unit at the Idaho National Laboratory DOME facility in 2026.”
Nuclear Newswire learned from a DOE representative that “the prior competitive FEEED and DEEP solicitations were to encourage first movers for potential testing in DOME. All reactor vendors seeking to test in DOME, including Radiant and Westinghouse, must submit an application which will be evaluated based on the merits of the application against the application criteria to establish a sequencing order.”
Essential information: The contract opportunity application was issued by Battelle Energy Alliance, management and operating contractor of INL, as the first of what is expected to be an annual series of DOME applications. Applicants must supply contact information by 5:00 p.m. (MDT) on June 5 and will then “receive additional instructions and a secure link via email for submitting applications.” Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. (MDT) on June 19.
The DOE is working to finalize an environmental review of the DOME test bed as part of the National Environmental Policy Act process. A draft environmental assessment was released in October 2024. The final EA and proposed finding of no significant impact are available for public comments through June 12. Comments can be submitted by email to DOMEEA@id.doe.gov.
