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2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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May 2026
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Antares achieves zero-power criticality at INL
Leveraging more than $140 million in private capital fundraising, over 322,000 square feet of operational manufacturing space, and multifaceted partnerships with the Departments of Energy and Defense, reactor start-up Antares has become the first company involved in the Reactor Pilot Program to achieve zero-power fueled criticality—a full month ahead of the July 4 deadline set by President Trump’s Executive Order 14301.
This milestone, announced yesterday, was achieved with the company’s Mark-0: a sodium heat-pipe-cooled, TRISO-fueled microreactor. The Mark-0 is a forerunner to the company’s flagship design, which it calls the R1. For Antares, this development represents a key validation of its reactor physics, control systems, and supply chain.
Domenico Abate, Giuseppe Marchiori, Matteo Bonotto, Roberto Cavazzana
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 82 | Number 3 | April 2026 | Pages 717-729
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/15361055.2025.2521596
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The electromagnetic response of the toroidal conducting structures surrounding the plasma of the RFX-mod2 experiment is investigated during the fast termination of a high-current reversed field pinch plasma discharge. The plasma equilibrium is self-consistently computed for each time instant, including the effect of the eddy currents. These are evaluated in the passive conductors together with the related electromagnetic forces. The magnetic fields at the sensor positions are also evaluated.
A comparative analysis of the plasma dynamics between the RFX-mod2 and its predecessor, RFX-mod, is conducted by isolating the electromagnetic contributions from each component of the system, including the plasma, active coils, and eddy currents. During fast termination, eddy currents up to 6 kA are induced in the equipotential cage conductors of the RFX-mod2, leading to localized magnetic field perturbations at the inner radius of the machine.
The global electromagnetic response of the passive structures suggests that RFX-mod2 is likely to exhibit faster horizontal shift during fast termination compared to the previous configuration. These findings provide critical insights into the behavior of high-current plasma discharges and the influence of passive structures on macroscopic plasma stability.