The submission from NANO Nuclear Energy initiates a due diligence for consideration of locating a fuel fabrication capability on the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site in US
Sign at the James V. Forrestal Building — for the headquarters of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), in Southwest Washington, D.C. (Credit: JSquish/ Wikipedia)
NANO Nuclear Energy, an emerging company specialising in micro-small modular reactors and advanced nuclear reactor technology, has announced a significant submission to the US Department of Energy (DOE). This submission marks the commencement of a due diligence process to secure approval for establishing a NANO Nuclear fuel fabrication facility at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site.
This strategic move represents a vertical integration strategy aligned with NANO Nuclear’s ongoing efforts. These efforts revolve around the development of their Zeus and Odin small nuclear microreactors.
Contained within the submission are comprehensive responses to queries presented by the DOE. Additionally, NANO Nuclear has included a proposed memorandum of understanding including facility site selection for the project.
Crucially, the submission made by NANO Nuclear to the DOE is being facilitated in collaboration with the Idaho National Laboratory (INL).
In its comprehensive submission, NANO Nuclear is putting forth a proposal for an integrated facility in collaboration with the INL facilities located in Idaho. This strategic partnership aims to leverage INL’s advanced capabilities and infrastructure.
Under this arrangement, NANO Nuclear envisions producing fuel not only for its proprietary Zeus and Odin reactors but also for INL’s laboratory operations and potential external customers.
By situating its fuel manufacturing facilities within the INL premises, NANO Nuclear would achieve several key advantages. Notably, this co-location strategy would obviate the need to transport nuclear material via public roads. Initial assessments suggest that this approach would yield substantial savings in terms of both time and costs.
NANO Nuclear’s submission to the DOE outlines plans for establishing a Nuclear Regulatory Commission-licenced facility. This facility aims to commence fuel production as early as 2027.
NANO Nuclear Energy founder, executive chairman and president Jay Jiang Yu said: “This submission and our collaboration with INL are a big step forward for NANO Nuclear, and we are very grateful to INL for their invaluable input and assistance with our DOE submission.
“We believe that our Zeus and Odin microreactors represent the leading edge of advanced nuclear microreactor technology and pairing this with the ability to focus on our own fuel in collaboration with the nation’s preeminent nuclear laboratory would be key vertical integration for our company that would both propel our own reactor business and create very promising additional business opportunities for Nano Nuclear.”