The progress so far: An update on the Reactor Pilot Program

These reactor projects are progressing through DOE authorization and oversight rather than Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing. Even so, several companies have kept the NRC in the loop as they progress on their projects, and the DOE has assured that “DOE-approved reactor designs can and will be fast tracked for future NRC licensing.”

With less than eight months remaining until the DOE’s target date, some companies have pulled to the front of the pack while others have provided little information on their plans. Below is a progress update for each company.

Aalo Atomics quickly made waves in August only a few weeks after the DOE’s initial announcement, first by securing $100 million in Series B funding and then by being the first to break ground on its DOE-backed project. Aalo is pursuing the Aalo-X (a 10-MWe sodium-cooled reactor) at Idaho National Laboratory. In September, the company signed another transactional agreement (OTA) with the DOE, which, according to Aalo, makes the company an official DOE contractor, meaning it no longer must route contracts through INL. This change, along with the broader framework provided by the OTA, simplifies and accelerates the two parties’collaboration. At the end of October, Aalo announced that it had completed its preliminary design review for Aalo-X after two days of presentations delivered to DOE reviewers and NRC observers.

Antares Nuclear, which is pursuing a 500-kWt sodium heat pipe–cooled microreactor, has had little in the way of project updates. In August, the DOE conditionally committed to providing the company with HALEU. In September, Antares confirmed that it had executed its agreement with the DOE to reach criticality by July 4. In October, it announced that it had met with the DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy but did not provide further details.

Atomic Alchemy, a radioisotope production company that was acquired by Oklo earlier this year, is working on its 15-MWt light water Versatile Isotope Production Reactor (VIPR). Although it has released no updates on its progress, Oklo’s third-quarter company update states that both construction and procurement for the Atomic Alchemy Pilot Project are underway. As of now, there are no other publicly known details regarding the project’s location, progress, or timeline.

Deep Fission, which is developing its 15-MWe Deep Fission Borehole Reactor-1, has yet to provide concrete updates on its project. Since its selection, the company raised $30 million in financing and went public via a reverse merger transaction with Surfside Action. In a recent interview with Fox Business, CEO Elizabeth Muller reaffirmed that the company intends to build its reactor next year.

Last Energy is pursuing the 20-MWe PWR-20 for eventual commercial deployment. Its project is the PWR-5, a scaled-down version of the same design. In October, the company announced that it had reached an agreement to lease land for the project at the Texas A&M RELLIS campus. In that announcement, Last Energy also revealed that it has signed an OTA with the DOE, begun formal licensing submissions, and procured a full core load of LEU fuel.

Natura Resources has both commercial and research molten salt reactors in the works. Like Antares, the DOE has committed to providing the company with HALEU. Its plans to participate in the program, however, are currently unclear. Abilene Christian University, Natura’s close partner, received a construction permit from the NRC last year to build its first reactor. In recent communications, Natura has affirmed that it is on track to deploy this NRC-licensed project by 2026. The company has also said it intends to file two commercial license applications with the NRC before the year is out. Natura has not made any recent mention of any intention to pursue a project through DOE authorization.

Oklo has two projects through the program—not including that of its subsidiary Atomic Alchemy. One of those projects is the Aurora-INL, slated to be Oklo’s first deployment of its Aurora Powerhouse, a 75-MWe liquid metal–cooled, metal-fueled fast reactor. Oklo broke ground on Aurora-INL in September. Little is publicly known about the second Oklo project, which has been referred to as “Pluto.” In its Q3 company update, Oklo described Pluto as a “test reactor supporting advanced fuel and component development.”

Radiant Industries is pursuing the 1-MWe helium-cooled Kaleidos microreactor, which is slated for testing at INL’s Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) facility. In August, the company signed an agreement with the Department of Defense to deploy microreactors at military installations. It was also selected for the U.S. Army’s separate pilot program—the Janus Program—in October. Radiant has yet to definitively state how it will leverage its selection in the DOE’s program.

Terrestrial Energy has identified its DOE-backed project as Project Tetra, a 195-MWe integral molten salt reactor. In a press release, the company described the project as involving “the completion of key testing that is essential to support licensing applications for the construction and operation of commercial IMSR plants in the U.S.” While the company was previously invited to the RELLIS campus to deploy a reactor, further details on TETRA are unknown.

Valar Atomics is developing its Ward 250, a 100-kWt, helium-cooled, TRISO-fueled, high-temperature gas reactor. The company broke ground on its DOE-backed project at Utah San Rafael Energy Lab in September. Recently, Valar announced that it had raised $130 million in its Series A funding round.

The takeaways: So far, three companies (Aalo, Valar, and Oklo, in that order) have broken ground on their projects; Last Energy has announced significant details and progress on its project but has not yet broken ground; and the remaining companies are at various stages of development, with some providing few to no details on their immediate plans.

Go deeper: The Reactor Pilot Program slots into a complicated network of activities being undertaken by the Trump administration to support new nuclear development. The articles below provide a fuller understanding of the whole picture:

• On the Reactor Pilot Program: “DOE Fast Tracks Test Reactor Projects: What to Know.”
• On the Fuel Line Pilot Program, which aims to provide fuel in part for the Reactor Pilot Program: “Four Companies Picked for Fast-Tracked Fuel Fabrication.”
• On the DOD’s Janus Program: “Army’s Janus Program to Boost Advanced Nuclear Reactors.”
• On the reactions of industry experts, including leaders at companies in the Reactor Pilot Program: “ANS Winter Conference: Nuclear Start-ups Applaud DOE Executive Order on Reactor Testing.”