According to a release by the Office of Nuclear Energy, Hermes reactor is being built to announce the development of the company’s commercial reactor that could be deployed next decade.
Hermes will use a TRISO fuel pebble bed design with a molten fluoride salt coolant to demonstrate affordable clean heat production.
The project was cleared for construction back in December by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The U.S. Department of Energy will invest up to $303 million to support the design, construction, and commissioning of Hermes through its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.
Kairos Power is also partnering with Los Alamos National Laboratory to produce TRISO pebble fuel for the reactor. It also has a cooperative development agreement in place with the Tennessee Valley Authority to provide engineering, operations, and licensing support.
The company had recently wrapped up molten salt testing on the company’s first Engineering Test Unit (ETU) at its manufacturing facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The system was the first of three iterations that are being built to help design, construct and operate Hermes.
It is currently building a second ETU in New Mexico and will collaborate with Barnard Construction on a third system that will be built adjacent to the Hermes reactor site.
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