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Aalo Atomics achieves criticality on July 4
Executive Order 14301 set an ambitious goal for at least three test reactors to achieve criticality by July 4. Two private companies participating in the Department of Energy’s Reactor Pilot Program—Antares and Valar Atomics—reached this stage earlier in June, and Deployable Energy—participating in the DOE's Nuclear Energy Launch Pad—became the third last week.
In the last few weeks, reports indicated that Aalo would be next, reaching criticality at Idaho National Laboratory with a low-enriched uranium–fueled, sodium-cooled reactor on or near the target date set forth by President Trump’s EO 14301. In the early hours of July 4, Aalo’s critical test reactor—a full-scale zero-power version of its planned 10-MWe Aalo-X—did just that, becoming the fourth DOE-authorized reactor to hit the milestone.
Andries van Hattem (Delft Univ. Technology), Karin Popa (European Commission, Joint Research Centre), Jean-Christophe Griveau (European Commission, Joint Research Centre), Eric Colineau (European Commission, Joint Research Centre), Anna L. Smith (Delft Univ. Technology), Rudy J.M. Konings (Delft Univ. Technology)
Proceedings | Plutonium Futures - The Science 2024 | Charleston, SC, September 8-12, 2024 | Pages 98-98
