Industry

New York City–based advanced nuclear technology developer Nano Nuclear Energy has been awarded a Direct-to-Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract for its Kronos micro modular reactor (MMR) by AFWERX, the innovation and venture arm of the U.S. Air Force. The contract calls for AFWERX, with the 11th Civil Engineering Squadron, to explore the feasibility of deploying the Kronos MMR Energy System at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (JBAB) in Washington, D.C.

Nuclearn, the nuclear AI start-up cofounded by Bradely Fox, one of Nuclear News’s 40 Under 40 honorees for 2024, announced it has raised $10.5 million in Series A funding to accelerate product development and market expansion of its AI platform for nuclear plant operations.

Since the Department of Energy kicked off a 10-company race with its Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program to bring test reactors on line by July 4, 2026, the industry has been waiting for new headlines proclaiming progress. Aalo Atomics broke ahead of the pack first by announcing last week that it had broken ground on its 10-MWe Aalo-X at Idaho National Laboratory.

Here is a recap of industry happenings from the recent past:

ADVANCED REACTOR MARKETPLACE

Progress continues on ITER vacuum vessel construction

Westinghouse Electric Company has signed a $180 million contract with the ITER Organization for the assembly of ITER’s vacuum vessel. Westinghouse has been collaborating with ITER for more than a decade, including in the manufacturing of sectors for the tokamak device’s vacuum vessel, in cooperation with its partners in the AMW consortium, Ansaldo Nucleare and Walter Tosto. After all the vacuum vessel sectors are in place, Westinghouse plans to simultaneously weld the nine sectors to form one circular ring-shaped torus.

Hoping to tackle a growing global demand for energy, The Open Group, a vendor-neutral technology and standards membership organization, has announced the formation of the Industrial Advanced Nuclear Consortium (IANC) to collaborate on finding advanced nuclear energy solutions to serve industrial customers.

Almost every day this week has featured headlines concerning announcements, signings, and progress across Utah’s nuclear sector.

At a glance: TerraPower, Flagship, and the state signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on siting a Natrium reactor; $5 million may come to Camp Williams for General Matter–related site preparation work; and Nusano cut the ribbon on a radioisotope production facility.

Less than a week after the news of Fermi America’s first collaboration for its Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus being built in partnership with Texas Tech University, the company has announced three more industry partners: Parkhill, Lee Lewis Construction, and Westinghouse.

Since Texas Tech University and Fermi America made a big splash unveiling their plans for the Advanced Energy and Intelligence Campus in June, news has been quiet.

At the time, the company promised to make the 5,769-acre site in Amarillo, Texas, “the largest nuclear power complex in America.” Now, with the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding and the hiring of two nuclear professionals, Fermi America’s cofounders—former Texas governor and energy secretary Rick Perry and his son, Griffin Perry—are one small step closer to achieving their ambitious goals.

In a flurry of press releases, blog articles, and LinkedIn posts all released August 18, Kairos Power, Google, and the Tennessee Valley Authority announced a new power purchase agreement (PPA) between Kairos and TVA to supply up to 50 MW to the TVA grid, which powers two data centers owned by Google.

This agreement marks a significant milestone: It’s the first time a U.S. utility has entered into a PPA to buy power from a Gen IV reactor.

Here is a recap of industry happenings from the recent past:

ADVANCED REACTORS MARKETPLACE

SMR service center targeted for Ontario

GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy has announced plans to invest as much as $50 million to establish a Canadian BWRX-300 Engineering and Service Center near Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington New Nuclear Project site. The Ontario government had previously approved the construction of the first of four BWRX-300 small modular reactors at the site. The center will provide engineering and technical services for the long-term operation and maintenance of the future fleet of SMRs in Ontario. It will also serve as a hub for innovation and training, knowledge sharing, supply chain engagement, and workforce development.

The Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, Ill., will be the home of Nano Nuclear Energy’s regional demonstration and office facility to support development of the company’s Kronos micro modular reactor (MMR). The company recently purchased for $3.5 million a 2.75-acre parcel that includes land and a 23,537-square-foot standalone building with a 7,400-square-foot nonnuclear demonstration area.

China has established a state-owned fusion energy company, China Fusion Energy Co. (CFEC), as a subsidiary of the China National Nuclear Corporation with the goal of accelerating the commercialization of fusion energy. According to a report by People’s Daily Online, the new company has a registered capital of 15 billion yuan (about $2.1 billion).

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has made three recent announcements regarding new developments in the nuclear energy industry:

EnergySolutions has announced that it has been selected for the U.S. Navy’s Radiological Support Services (RADMAC III) multiple-award contract, valued at up to $240 million. EnergySolutions will lead a team that includes Tetra Tech EC and small business partners such as TerranearPMC, along with numerous others, to provide radiological response, investigation, and remediation services to the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest.

At the end of his July 15 speech at the inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit, President Trump promised that “a lot more [was] going to be announced in the coming week” for the energy and AI sectors.

In back-to-back press releases, Oklo recently announced two new partnerships that seek to advance the deployment of its commercial power reactors in the data center market.

These partnerships, one with Ohio-based Vertiv Holdings and one with Colorado-based Liberty Energy, continue Oklo’s trend in working to position their Aurora powerhouse as a key part of the energy solution for powering the AI boom.

Hash Hashemian
president@ans.org

I am deeply honored and grateful to have been elected president of the American Nuclear Society. Your support and confidence in me are truly humbling, and I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you.

As president, my top priority is to expedite the deployment of new nuclear reactors, beginning with small modular reactors and eventually progressing to Generation IV systems. I will also work to ensure that the United States keeps its global leadership in this field. For the U.S. to do that, the federal government must maintain and expand its financial support of the nuclear industry by preserving critical incentives, tax provisions, and infrastructure investments.

Following the signing of a new agreement, Kiewit Nuclear Solutions, a subsidiary of Kiewit Corporation, is officially the lead constructor for Oklo’s first commercial Aurora powerhouse, which will be built at Idaho National Laboratory.

A subcontract has been signed with NQA-1 qualified fabricator AvanTech to support TerraPower’s Natrium project in Kemmerer, Wyo. AvanTech will design advanced sodium processing system modules and supporting skids for the Natrium plant as well as fabricate and deliver the test and fill facility’s cold trap skid.

Bellevue, Wash.–based TerraPower has awarded three supplier contracts to U.S. companies to support its Natrium demonstration project, construction of which began in June 2024 in Kemmerer, Wyo. The new contracts represent the fifth round of procurement awards for the Natrium project.