DOE fast tracks test reactor projects: What to know

Who was named? Some names are familiar to Newswire readers, and others less so, but read on for details and links for each of these companies: Aalo Atomics, Antares Nuclear, Atomic Alchemy, Deep Fission, Last Energy, Natura Resources, Oklo (named for two projects), Radiant Industries, Terrestrial Energy, and Valar Atomics.

The goal? To “construct, operate, and achieve criticality of at least three test reactors using the DOE authorization process by July 4, 2026.” The ten companies are “initial selections,” and more applications may be reviewed and awarded on a rolling basis.

Some of the companies are already working with the NRC to license their reactor designs. But despite recent changes at the commission, including shorter timelines for licensing applications as defined by executive order, the DOE authorization process offers companies a way to accelerate their plans. Reactors built under the program “will not require Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing,” according to the RFA. “Nevertheless, DOE-approved reactor designs can and will be fast tracked for future NRC licensing.”

“President Trump’s Reactor Pilot Program is a call to action,” said Deputy Secretary of Energy James P. Danly. “These companies aim to all safely achieve criticality by Independence Day, and DOE will do everything we can to support their efforts.”

The Reactor Pilot Program offers a twofold “value proposition,” according to the RFA. Applicants are on their own for funding the construction, testing, and decommissioning of a reactor, but the DOE’s help will “unlock the next level of private funding” and “provide a fast track to an NRC license, and hence, commercialization for authorized reactor designs.”

By executive order: Section 5 of President Trump’s Executive Order 14301—“Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy”—orders the DOE to establish the pilot program using its authority under the Atomic Energy Act. Once an applicant is approved, “the secretary shall assign a team to provide assistance to the applicant.”

The American Nuclear Society convened an expert advisory group to review the executive orders released May 23, which concluded that the DOE and the Department of Defense “can play a constructive role in spurring construction of advanced reactors,” and that their capacity to support a “significantly expanded pipeline of projects” was unclear. The group also concluded that DOE and DOD efforts “must be well coordinated” with the NRC, which is solely authorized to license reactors serving dual-use or commercial purposes.

“It is important to avoid duplicative regulatory requirements, conflicting standards across agencies, and a burdensome licensing process or even legal concerns that inject uncertainty into nuclear investments,” the group stated, adding that “it is essential that the [NRC] remain fully engaged in reactor design and approval processes to maintain U.S. leadership in civil nuclear exports.”

Authorization or licensing: The pilot program and company selections “represent an important step toward streamlining nuclear reactor testing” that “unleashes a new pathway toward fast-tracking commercial licensing activities.”

To date, pathways to reactor testing have been either through NRC licensing or through the DOE for test or demonstrations on DOE land. Some—but not all—of the companies are already working with the NRC (see below).

Only the NRC has the authority to license commercial nuclear power reactors, and the DOE has emphasized that the pilot program “is specifically designed to foster research and development of nuclear reactors and not demonstrate reactors for commercial suitability.”

Fuel pilot proceeds: Last month the DOE announced a parallel pilot program for test reactor fuel fabrication, and by August 4 had named the first company “conditionally selected” for authorization by the DOE to construct, operate, and decommission a fuel fabrication pilot line: Standard Nuclear of Oak Ridge, Tenn., which considers itself to be a “reactor-agnostic” producer of TRISO fuel.

According to the DOE, the Fuel Line Pilot Program would produce the fuel needed for test reactors built under the Reactor Pilot Program. Like the reactors they’re meant to fuel, the fabrication facilities would be built on sites outside the DOE’s national laboratories but authorized by the DOE under “a fast-tracked approach to enable future commercial licensing activities for potential applicants.”

The companies: In its press release, the DOE announced the selection of the following 10 companies:

• Aalo Atomics, of Austin, Texas, is pursuing the development of the 10-MWe sodium-cooled Aalo-1. Last December, Aalo and the DOE announced that they would build an experimental reactor at Idaho National Laboratory in order to help license and commercialize Aalo-1. Also in 2024, only a year after the company’s founding, Aalo submitted a regulatory engagement plan to the NRC for the reactor, with plans to submit a full license application in 2026. Earlier this year, Aalo also announced plans for the 50-MWe Aalo Pod, a mass-manufactured reactor “purpose-built for data centers” based on the Aalo-1 design.
• Antares Nuclear, of Los Angeles, Calif., is pursuing the 500-kW sodium heat pipe–cooled R1 microreactor. While Antares has not yet engaged with the NRC, they were one of three companies that received a Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) voucher last year to work with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The company was also among those selected by the Defense Innovation Unit for theDOD’s Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations program.
• Atomic Alchemy, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, is a radioisotope production company that is focused on expanding domestic isotope manufacturing capabilities by pursuing the development of the 15-MWt light water Versatile Isotope Production Reactor (VIPR). The company, which was founded in 2018, was acquired by Oklo last year.
• Deep Fission, of Berkley, Calif., is pursuing the 15-MWe Deep Fission Borehole Reactor-1. DFBR-1 is a pressurized water reactor that the company plans to build one mile underground via a 30-inch borehole. Another recipient of a GAIN voucher to work with INL, Deep Fission has close ties with Deep Isolation, a spent nuclear fuel management company. Both companies were cofounded by father-daughter business partners Richard and Elizabeth Muller. Deep Fission is currently engaged with the NRC in preapplication activities for the licensing of DFBR-1.
• Last Energy, of Washington D.C., is pursuing the 20-MWe PWR-20. Founded in 2019, Last Energy (alongside Aalo, Kairos, Natura, and Terrestrial Energy) was invited by Texas A&M University to build advanced reactors on its RELLIS Campus. There, it plans to site 30 PWR-20s. The company is also involved in State of Texas et al. v. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a lawsuit that challenges the NRC’s authority to license SMRs. Last Energy is currently engaged in preapplication activities with the NRC for another site in Haskell, Texas, where it has plans for 30 more PWR-20s.
• Natura Resources, of Abilene, Texas, is pursuing the design of both commercial and research molten salt reactors. Founded in 2020, the company maintains a close partnership with Abilene Christian University on the 1-MWt MSRR project, which was the first molten salt–fueled reactor to receive a construction permit from the NRC. The company remains in preapplication activities with the NRC for its commercial reactor.
• Oklo, of Santa Clara, Calif., is pursuing the Aurora powerhouse, a 75-MWe liquid metal–cooled, metal-fueled fast reactor. Oklo’s first reactor is being built at INL, where they plan to enter operation as soon as 2027. The company recently signed an agreement with Kiewit Nuclear Solutions to act as the lead constructor for the project. In June, the U.S. Air Force announced a notice of intent to award the company a contract to pilot a microreactor at Eielson Air Force Base. Oklo is engaged in preapplication activities with the NRC after the company’s previous application was denied in 2022.
• Radiant Industries, of El Segundo, Calif., is pursuing the 1-MWe, helium-cooled Kaleidos reactor. Founded in 2019, the microreactor developer has received significant funding alongside government support. It will be one of the first companies to test a reactor at INL’s Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) facility. The company also was selected by the DOE to receive HALEU. Radiant is currently involved in preapplication industries for the Kaleidos microreactor.
• Terrestrial Energy, of Charlotte, N.C., is pursuing a 195-MWe integral molten salt reactor. Aside from being invited to develop a reactor on the RELLIS Campus, the company also signed an MOU with waste-management company EnergySolutions to collaborate on the siting and deployment of its reactors on EnergySolutions sites. Founded in 2013, Terrestrial Energy has the goal of commissioning its first commercial plant within the next five years, The company is currently involved in preapplication activities with the NRC for its reactor.
• Valar Atomics, of El Segundo, Calif., is pursuing a helium-cooled, TRISO-fueled, high-temperature gas reactor. The company has yet to release significant details on its prototype reactor or eventual commercial plans, but saying it is seeking to make the largest nuclear sites in the world. It has not yet engaged with the NRC, though it was involved in the lawsuit against the agency.