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Reuters
4 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
US reactor builders need bigger fuel deals to avoid supply crunch
June 4 - The U.S. Department of Energy's commitment to supply high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to Westinghouse, Kairos Power, TerraPower, Radiant Industries and TRISO-X brings demonstration small modular reactors (SMRs) closer to reality. The first four firms are developing SMRs and have also received support from the DOE's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. TRISO-X, a subsidiary of SMR developer X-energy, is building a facility in Tennessee to produce HALEU-based TRISO fuel. The DOE selected the five companies in April under a multi-billion dollar nuclear fuel availability program launched in 2020. U.S. nuclear development activity has soared as surging power demand from AI accelerates the need for low carbon power generation. SMRs offer smaller capacities and land requirements than conventional large-scale nuclear plants, as well as longer operating cycles and increased efficiencies. 'TerraPower is pleased to see the commitment from President Trump's Department of Energy to supporting advanced nuclear energy, and the fuel needed for next generation reactors that allow them to operate more safely and efficiently than the current light-water reactor technology,' a TerraPower spokesperson told Reuters Events. Trump wants to accelerate a new wave of nuclear plant construction and on May 23 he ordered the DOE to issue a plan to expand production of several nuclear fuels, including HALEU, within 120 days. He also ordered the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to streamline regulations and fast-track new licenses for reactors. Most SMR designs plan to use HALEU nuclear fuel and the U.S. has minimal production capacity. Developers have been racing to secure supplies of HALEU amid fears that a lack of domestic nuclear fuel supply chain could delay development of the industry. Russia is the largest global supplier of the fuel and the Biden administration banned uranium imports from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. The DOE's allocation of HALEU to the five developers 'provides material for initial core loads to build and demonstrate their designs,' Adam Stein, director of nuclear energy innovation at the Breakthrough Institute, told Reuters Events. Huge investments must be made in the U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain to avoid bottlenecks in the coming years. 'Broader fuel availability will be needed for refueling and larger scale-up," Stein noted. "Lack of fuel availability to operate a reactor long-term is one concern potential buyers have right now." Fueling growth Westinghouse will use the fuel at its eVinci nuclear test reactor at National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) DOME facility at Idaho National Laboratory while TerraPower will use it to fuel its Natrium reactor in Kemmerer, Wyoming. Kairos Power will use the material to produce HALEU TRISO (tri-structural isotropic) fuel pebbles for its Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor in partnership with the Los Alamos National Laboratory. 'The HALEU allocation from DOE will enable Kairos Power to demonstrate our advanced reactor technology, prove its ability to produce affordable nuclear heat, and generate crucial learning to support future fleet deployment,' Micah Hackett, Kairos Vice President, Fuels & Materials told Reuters Events. X-energy subsidiary TRISO-X is constructing a HALEU fuel fabrication facility at the DOE's site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Radiant Industries is seeking funding to build its Kaleidos Development Unit microreactor for testing at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Strategies to overcome cost hurdles for new nuclear - download our webinar. The U.S. HALEU supply chain needs to grow rapidly if SMR technology is to move beyond the research and demonstration stage and become commercially viable. SMRs will typically need to refuel every five to seven years, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). 'DOE's announcement does not indicate whether or when additional allocations may be made available,' Steve Greene, Senior Fellow at the Nuclear Innovation Alliance, noted. U.S. demand for HALEU could reach 50 metric tons per year by 2035, with additional amounts required each year, according to the DOE. Centrus Energy is currently the only U.S. maker of the fuel and has the capacity to produce 900 kilograms per year. CHART: Forecast global nuclear capacity 'Developers will be dependent upon additional legacy materials for first cores until a supply chain is established," Westinghouse said in a statement to Reuters Events. "These [DOE] allocations do build familiarity with handling and transporting HALEU materials which will ultimately benefit a larger commercial supply chain," the company said. 'We believe orders for advanced reactors are the primary demand signal that will be required to spur enrichment companies to invest in HALEU production capacity,' Hackett said. USA buys Last October, the DOE awarded ten contracts with companies to provide enrichment services that will help establish and build out a domestic supply of HALEU and low-enriched uranium (LEU), and for deconversion services. The contracts establish a framework for DOE procurement and the DOE must make purchase agreements before the companies can invest in new production capacity. The 10-year contracts will each offer a minimum of $2 million, with up to $3.4 billion available from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). 'Investment in domestic HALEU production is still needed, and will require U.S. Government policy support as either an intermediate purchaser to provide adequate demand or through public-private partnerships in production facilities," Greene said. The DOE is behind schedule in implementing its nuclear fuel availability program and Trump's recent executive orders reiterated DOE's obligation to ensure that a long-term supply of enriched uranium is available for the continued operation of the projects, Greene noted. For exclusive nuclear insights, sign up to our newsletter. If government and private sector funding is provided, Centrus Energy could build a full-scale cascade producing six metric tons of HALEU per year within around 42 months, Dan Leistikow, vice president of corporate communications for Centrus, told Reuters Events. It would take a further six months to get another cascade online and another two months to get a third online, he said.
TechCrunch
09-05-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Google inks deal to develop 1.8 GW of advanced nuclear power
Google and nuclear site developer Elementl Power announced this week that they will work together on three sites for advanced nuclear reactors. The tech company has been rushing to lock up energy sources as its AI ambitions drive growing power demands at its data centers. This year alone, Google plans to spend $75 billion building data center capacity. With the new deal, Google is promising to add at least 600 megawatts of generating capacity at each of the three sites. Elementl said the reactors will be connected to the grid 'with the option for commercial off-take,' meaning that Google can buy power directly. Elementl has been operating stealthily until this announcement. The team has experience in the nuclear industry, though it hasn't developed any power plants yet. The company was started by Breakwater North and is backed by Energy Impact Partners. Elementl is taking a 'technology agnostic' approach, meaning that it hasn't decided on which small modular reactor (SMR) company it will work with to develop the projects. There are a number of possibilities, though Kairos Power is a likely frontrunner given its existing deal with Google. Kairos says its demo plant will generate 50 megawatts of electricity, with an eventual commercial plant producing 150 megawatts split between two reactors. There's no universally accepted definition, but SMRs tend to top out at 300 megawatts or so. By comparison, the most recently completed nuclear power plant in the U.S., Vogtle Unit 4 in Georgia, generates over 1.1 gigawatts of electricity, nearly four times the size of a large SMR. Techcrunch event Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | BOOK NOW Silicon Valley has been smitten by SMRs. Startups have been rushing into the space, promising to slash reactor costs through mass manufacturing enabled by SMRs' smaller size. That, coupled with the promise of 24/7 power that could be sited close to data centers, has pushed them to sign a number of deals with SMR startups, including Oklo, X-Energy, and the aforementioned Kairos. Yet no SMR has been built outside of China. One startup, NuScale, has gotten close to building one, but it suffered a setback in 2023 when its utility partner canceled its contract after the estimated cost of the project more than doubled — even as the plans were downsized in an effort to contain costs.
Associated Press
08-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Kairos Power Begins Nuclear Safety-Related Construction of Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor
OAK RIDGE, TN, UNITED STATES, May 8, 2025 / / -- Kairos Power has completed the first installation of nuclear safety-related concrete for the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor, marking the start of 'nuclear construction' on the project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Hermes is a scaled demonstration of Kairos Power's fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor technology and is the first advanced nuclear reactor to receive a construction permit from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Kairos Power first broke ground at the Hermes site in July 2024 and completed excavation in October. Safety-related construction activities, which are subject to oversight by the NRC and can only be performed with a construction permit, started on May 1 with a focus on the building's foundation. To ensure structural soundness, Hermes will have 51 six-foot-diameter drilled piers extending approximately 40 feet below grade to anchor the building to bedrock. The first safety-related concrete pour was the culmination of several months of preparation. Two earlier projects at the Oak Ridge site served as proving grounds to test the drilled pier installation process and refine Kairos Power's nuclear quality assurance program. The construction team, led by Barnard Construction Company, completed a full-scale test pier in November, known as 'Pier 52,' to demonstrate the process from beginning to end before drilling 70 piers for Kairos Power's non-nuclear Engineering Test Unit (ETU 3.0) facility over four months. The team became highly proficient, installing as many as six piers in a single day using quality control checklists similar to those that will be used for Hermes. 'The first safety-related concrete pour for a U.S. advanced reactor under an NRC construction permit is a major milestone and a significant accomplishment for the Kairos Power team and our construction partners,' said Kairos Power CEO and co-founder Mike Laufer. 'This achievement reflects the value of our iterative development process to meet the necessary nuclear quality standards and provide crucial real cost information that gives confidence to our customers. It is a testament to the hard work of our dedicated team and represents an enormous amount of learning and progress.' 'The Hermes project team continues to lead the industry as we forge a new path in advanced reactor construction,' said Kairos Power Chief Technology Officer and co-founder Edward Blandford. 'Working with our partners and in close communication with the NRC, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety to ensure the success of this project.' The Hermes reactor will leverage proven technologies that originated in Oak Ridge—a novel combination of TRISO coated particle fuel and 'Flibe' molten fluoride salt coolant, which yields robust inherent safety while simplifying the reactor's design. Hermes is supported by risk reduction funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. Kairos Power is building the demonstration reactor as part of its iterative approach to mitigating technology, licensing, supply chain, and construction risks for the commercial fleet. About Kairos Power Kairos Power is a mission-driven nuclear technology, engineering, and manufacturing company singularly focused on commercializing the fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR) – a clean energy solution that can be deployed with robust safety at an affordable cost to enable deep decarbonization. Founded in 2016, the company is unique in applying a rapid iterative development approach and vertical integration strategy to bring advanced reactor technology to market. In 2025, Kairos Power commenced safety-related construction of the Hermes demonstration reactor – the first non-water-cooled reactor approved for construction in the U.S. in over 50 years. Kairos Power's mission is to enable the world's transition to clean energy with the ultimate goal of dramatically improving people's quality of life while protecting the environment. Learn more at Contact: Ashley Lewis Corporate Communications [email protected] (510) 775-1685 Ashley Lewis Kairos Power email us here Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Associated Press
06-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Kairos Power Joins Texas Nuclear Alliance as Founding Member
The Texas Nuclear Alliance (TNA) is proud to announce that Kairos Power, a nuclear energy engineering, design, manufacturing, integration, and operations company has joined as a Founding Member. The company is singularly focused on commercializing advanced reactor technology that can be deployed with robust safety at an affordable cost. 'Kairos Power recognizes the tremendous potential that nuclear power offers for Texas and is leading the way in developing advanced reactor technologies to help unlock a reliable, affordable, cleaner energy future,' said TNA President Reed Clay. 'Kairos Power's unique technology and leadership in nuclear will play a pivotal role in the future of the power industry in Texas.' 'Texas is taking bold steps to secure its clean energy future by embracing nuclear energy to power homes, businesses, and industries. As a member of the Texas Nuclear Alliance, Kairos Power is proud to align with this mission, furthering our commitment to enable the energy transition while promoting human wellbeing,' said Kairos Power CEO and co-founder Mike Laufer. 'We are excited about the opportunity to drive technological leadership and continued economic growth by deploying advanced reactors in Texas.' About Kairos Power Kairos Power is a mission-driven nuclear technology, engineering, and manufacturing company singularly focused on commercializing the fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR) – a clean energy solution that can be deployed with robust safety at an affordable cost to enable deep decarbonization. Founded in 2016, the company is unique in applying a rapid iterative development approach and vertical integration strategy to bring advanced reactor technology to market. In 2023, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a construction permit for Kairos Power's Hermes demonstration reactor – the first non-water-cooled reactor to be approved for construction in the U.S. in more than 50 years. Kairos Power's mission is to enable the world's transition to clean energy with the ultimate goal of dramatically improving people's quality of life while protecting the environment. Learn more at About the Texas Nuclear Alliance TNA is the only industry association in Texas dedicated to the advancement of nuclear technology in the state. TNA was formed with a singular mission: to make Texas the Nuclear Capital of the World. Formed in 2022 in the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri, TNA is based on the fundamental premise that if Texas and the world want low-carbon, reliable energy, it can no longer turn its back on nuclear energy. Nuclear is clean, safe, reliable, and secure. Texas Nuclear Alliance Lauren Clay 512-567-7604
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Kairos Power's reactors will include technologies based on ORNL innovations
This is the second of two stories on Kairos Power's plans for building test reactors in Oak Ridge this decade and nuclear power plants next decade using two technologies based on Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) innovations. The three Hermes demonstration reactors that Kairos Power plans to build in Oak Ridge's Heritage Center will incorporate two technologies based on innovations originating at the nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Kairos Power scientists and engineers also are or will be meeting with ORNL experts on these technologies to acquire the knowledge they need for the Hermes reactor projects. The goal is to ensure successful demonstrations of their three planned test reactors' Kairos Power fluoride-salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR) technology. Those were two of the messages this volunteer reporter for The Oak Ridger heard in a conversation by Zoom with Edward Blandford, Kairos Power's co-founder and chief technology officer. He is responsible for all engineering and technology development functions at Kairos Power. These include hardware demonstrations, fuel and salt supply infrastructure, manufacturing, supply chain and procurement, environmental health and safety, construction management and engineering operations. In the 1960s, ORNL ran a successful Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) that showed the advantages of using a molten salt containing lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride (FLiBe) instead of water for cooling a reactor that can operate at a high temperature but under low pressure. Kairos Power will use FLiBe salt to cool its Hermes reactors and carry away their heat, which for the second and third reactors will produce steam for generating electricity. The MSR technology was championed by ORNL Director Alvin Weinberg, who co-invented the pressurized water reactor (water-cooled reactor run at high pressure), which is at the heart of two-thirds of the nuclear power plants operating in the world today. ORNL researchers working in a program to develop the high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor were the first to invent TRISO (tristructural isotropic) nuclear fuel. For the Kairos Power reactors, the TRISO fuel will be embedded in graphite pebbles, each containing thousands of coated uranium fuel particles the size of poppy seeds. The spherical TRISO particles feature a robust, triple-layered ceramic shell that withstands high temperatures and prevents the release of radioactive fission products. Blandford said Kairos Power is working with the Low Enriched Fuel Fabrication Facility at the U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico to manufacture HALEU TRISO fuel pebbles for the Hermes reactors. HALEU stands for High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium. This nuclear fuel is enriched in uranium-235 at a level between 5% and 20%, higher than the level for traditional reactor fuel Kairos Power partnered with Materion Corp. in Elmore, Ohio, to commission the construction and operation of the Molten Salt Purification Plant (MSPP). In 2022 it produced unenriched FLiBe for the Engineering Test Unit (ETU) series. Kairos Power is now integrating lessons learned from MSPP into a Salt Production Facility that will produce reactor-grade FLiBe enriched in lithium-7 for the Hermes reactor series. Blandford was asked how ORNL researchers are helping the Kairos Power staff with the Hermes reactor projects. He answered that Kairos Power is acquiring information from ORNL in four main areas: the characterization of TRISO fuel, safeguards approaches, the lab's advanced manufacturing methods and capabilities, as well as the know-how and knowledge contained in documents from the lab's historical MSRE program, including ORNL's experience with the FLiBe salt coolant. 'Knowledge transfer is something that Kairos is looking for from Oak Ridge,' he said. Kairos has committed to investing at least $100 million and creating more than 55 full-time jobs in the Oak Ridge area to support the construction and operation of the Hermes 1 reactor. DOE is investing up to $303 million through a performance-based milestone contract funded by the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program to support the reactor's design, construction and commissioning. In May 2021, Kairos established a cooperative development agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority, which will provide engineering, operations and licensing support for the Hermes 1 reactor. Successful operation of the three demonstration reactors, including the two reactors that will generate up to 28 megawatts of electricity for the grid, should enable Kairos Power to reach the next level in the early 2030s, Blandford said. That step would be building in a not-yet-determined location the KP-X commercial demonstration plant, he added. It would house a single reactor with a power output of 50 megawatts (50 MWe) operating at near-atmospheric pressure and a reactor outlet temperature of 650 degrees Celsius made of stainless-steel structural material. The uranium fuel will be enriched in fissionable uranium-235 at a level of 19.75%. Following KP-X, Kairos Power will deploy commercial plants with a standard configuration of two 75-MWe reactors connected to a shared power generation system for a total output of 150 MWe. The company is partnering with Google to deploy reactors for power-hungry data centers that the search engine company will need for training artificial intelligence models. In October 2024, according to a news release, 'Kairos Power and Google signed a Master Plant Development Agreement, creating a path to deploy a U.S. fleet of advanced nuclear power projects totaling 500 megawatts by 2035.' In a Feb. 4, 2025, news release, it was announced that 'Kairos Power, the Texas A&M University System and prospective customers have agreed to explore the potential to site one or more commercial Kairos Power nuclear power plants at the Texas A&M-RELLIS campus as part of the university's initiative to build a proving ground for the next generation of nuclear reactors. 'Texas A&M selected Kairos Power's proposal as the largest commercial project to anchor an expansion of the RELLIS campus that would advance new nuclear technologies to supply clean, firm electricity for data centers and other commercial applications.' One Texas A&M aim is to enhance students' education by providing unprecedented access to the latest advanced reactor technologies. Blandford was asked about the success of the Kairos Power staff's interactions with the Nuclear Regulatory Comission (NRC) staff in obtaining construction permits for the Hermes reactor series. He said the Kairos Power staff engaged with the NRC staff during each step of the construction permit application. He compared the application process to a book report. Instead of submitting a 10-page report on a book all up front, he said, the Kairos Power staff prepared the equivalent of a short report on various sections and obtained feedback from NRC. These smaller reports, called Licensing Topical Reports, allowed the NRC staff to take formal licensing positions and parallelize the review. Blandford was asked whether building and operating a few commercial 150-MWe KP-FHR power plants would be more economical than a 1,000-MWe pressurized water reactor used in many of the world's nuclear power plants. He said that building and operating a new 1,000-MWe nuclear power plant incorporating a pressurized water reactor or boiling water reactor is 'a big investment for utilities to make. "A large utility needs a substantial market capitalization to make that level of investment," Blandford said. He added that water-cooled reactors are 'a more mature technology, but at such a large size and a scale that there's a lot of project risk in translating the design of a nuclear power plant to a particular site.' In addition, it takes at least 10 years to build such plants 'and the people that built those plants are no longer there waiting for new work.' Blandford argued that the KP-FHR technology is at a smaller scale, 'allowing us to bring down the cost curve quicker and sooner' than can be done by megaprojects. Also, he added, because the Kairos Power innovation is a high-temperature, low-pressure reactor, it does not require the huge, expensive pressure vessel and containment structure used by each water-cooled reactor to ensure its safe operation. 'Our reactors, which rely on what is called functional containment, are designed to have very little stored energy in the system,' he said. 'In the large, light-water reactors, accidents can evolve relatively quickly, so stored energy must be appropriately managed through active and passive means. The FHR safety case is built on removing those accident sequences from the design.' He added that reactor costs and construction time will decrease if standardized reactor parts can be built in a factory environment and transported to multiple locations where nuclear power plants using Gen IV reactors like KP-FHRs are assembled on site. But, he stated, Kairos Power will be building and demonstrating a first-of-a-kind technology, so there will be some upfront costs in showing when the KP-FHR power plants are ready to be standardized, modularized and commercialized. This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Kairos Power reactors will include tech based on ORNL innovations
