The Second Atomic Age https://thesecondatomicage.com/ Recent updates from the advanced-nuclear buildout. en-us Mon, 09 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT The NRC approves the construction permit for Dow's Long Mott station: four Xe-100s at Seadrift, Texas. It is the first HTGR construction permit in nearly 60 years and the first advanced reactor approved at a US industrial site. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/11/09/3399007/0/en/dow-x-energy-proposed-smr-project-receives-historic-construction-permit-for-nuclear-powered-industrial-site.html https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-11-09:xenergy-xe100:licensing Mon, 09 Nov 2026 12:00:00 GMT licensing DOE approves the final Documented Safety Analysis for Radiant's Kaleidos at INL's DOME, covering criticality and full-power operation. A DOE readiness review is the last step before fuel load. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261029539545/en/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-10-29:radiant-kaleidos:licensing Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT licensing DOE approves the Nuclear Safety Design Agreement for Antares' Mark-1, its first electricity-producing reactor — the first gate on the way to a full-power run at INL in 2027. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261023509758/en/Antares-Clears-First-DOE-Authorization-Gate-for-Mark-1-Its-Electricity-Producing-Reactor https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-10-23:antares-mark-1:licensing Fri, 23 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT licensing The Nuclear Company proposes Prosperity One, up to six AP1000s and 6.6 GW in Lewis County, Kentucky, with construction targeted for 2028. No NRC filing, buyer or operating date yet. https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/nuclear-company-proposes-66-gw-kentucky-project https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-10-21:westinghouse-ap1000:deal Wed, 21 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT deal The Army's Janus Program places one of Radiant's fifteen Kaleidos units at Naval Weapons Station Crane, Indiana — the Navy's first shore-based advanced reactor. Not a new award: the Navy says it is part of the August Janus announcement. https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/display-news/Article/4629830/department-of-the-navy-selects-radiant-industries-for-microreactor-prototype-at/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-10-20:radiant-kaleidos:deal Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT deal X-energy and AEP agree to study a 960 MWe, 12-unit Xe-100 plant at a retired coal site in Sullivan County, Indiana, with Amazon funding development — X-energy's third US project. https://x-energy.com/news/x-energy-amazon-american-electric-power-partner-to-bring-smr-project-to-indiana/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-10-19:xenergy-xe100:deal Mon, 19 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT deal Indiana, Hoosier Energy and AtkinsRéalis sign an MOU to study up to eight CANDU reactors and 6 GW. No site or schedule yet. https://www.ans.org/news/article-8504/in-latest-indiana-power-plant-proposal-parties-to-explore-candu-reactors/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-10-19:atkinsrealis-ec6:deal Mon, 19 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT deal DOE approves the Documented Safety Analysis for Last Energy's PWR-5 pilot at Texas A&M-RELLIS, leaving only a readiness review before startup authorization. https://www.financialcontent.com/article/bizwire-2026-10-7-last-energy-receives-doe-approval-of-pilot-reactor-documented-safety-analysis https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-10-07:last-energy-pwr5:licensing Wed, 07 Oct 2026 12:00:00 GMT licensing Valar's Project Beehive comes to light: a BLM application for 456 reactors and about 9.6 GW of data-center power near Price, Utah, with first reactors targeted for 2028. https://www.ans.org/news/article-8462/details-emerge-on-valars-utah-plans/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-09-30:valar-25mwe:deal Wed, 30 Sep 2026 12:00:00 GMT deal The US Army's Janus Program awards up to $2.2B to five companies to build microreactors at Fort Bragg, Fort Campbell, Fort Hood, Fort Benning and Fort Drum — against an executive-order deadline of 30 September 2028. https://www.powermag.com/the-janus-five-20-commercial-nuclear-microreactors-starting-in-2028/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-08-26:site:deal Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT deal The U.S. Army selects Antares for Fort Bragg under the Janus Program — three R1 units, first power targeted 2028. https://federalnewsnetwork.com/army/2026/08/army-awards-2-2b-in-contracts-for-nuclear-microreactors/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-08-26:antares-mark-1:deal Wed, 26 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT deal Westinghouse completes zero-power criticality testing of the eVinci core at NCERC, Nevada, with Los Alamos and INL — core physics validated outside the machine. https://info.westinghousenuclear.com/news/westinghouse-evinci-microreactor-achieves-zero-power-criticality https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-08-24:westinghouse:criticality Mon, 24 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT criticality DOE approves the Nuclear Safety Design Agreement for Deep Fission's Gravity borehole reactor. https://www.powermag.com/doe-approves-safety-design-of-deep-fissions-underground-smr/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-08-06:deep-fission-gravity:licensing Thu, 06 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT licensing Oklo Isotopes' Groves Isotope Test Reactor achieves zero-power criticality at Lockhart, Texas — the fifth pilot reactor critical. https://oklo.com/newsroom/news-details/2026/Oklos-Groves-Reactor-Achieves-First-Criticality-in-Under-a-Year/default.aspx https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-08-05:oklo-groves:criticality Wed, 05 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT criticality Valar Atomics raises a $1B Series B led by Sequoia at a ~$6B valuation, tripling its valuation, plus a $200M credit facility — to move from demonstration to factory production. https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/03/sequoias-shaun-maguire-leads-1b-round-for-nuclear-startup-valar-atomics/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-08-03:valar-atomics:funding Mon, 03 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMT funding Aalo names Crusoe its anchor commercial partner and will co-locate a Crusoe Spark data center beside Aalo-X at INL — the first reactor purpose-built to power AI compute on site. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C_FwZBrst8 https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-07-30:aalo-atomics:other Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT other Aalo Atomics signs a term sheet for its Series C and announces a move to a 1 million sq ft factory, targeting 1 GW/yr of reactor output by 2030. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_C_FwZBrst8 https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-07-30:aalo-atomics:funding Thu, 30 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT funding Antares Nuclear raises a $470M Series C — $370M equity, $100M debt — taking total raised to ~$604M. https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/27/antares-raises-470m-to-build-nuclear-reactors-for-the-u-s-military/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-07-27:antares-nuclear:funding Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT funding Terra Innovatum asks the NRC to review its draft SOLO construction permit application ahead of filing later in 2026. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/07/23/3332054/0/en/Terra-Innovatum-Initiates-NRC-Preapplication-Readiness-Review-to-Support-Solo-Construction-Permit-Application.html https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-07-23:terra-solo:licensing Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT licensing Natura Resources' MSR-1 receives DOE approval of its Nuclear Safety Design Agreement. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/natura-resources-receives-us-doe-approval-of-its-nuclear-safety-design-agreement-for-its-molten-salt-nuclear-reactor-deployment-302830977.html https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-07-21:natura-msr-1:licensing Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT licensing Aalo Atomics' Aalo-X CTR goes critical — the fourth reactor critical, clearing the executive order's three-by-July-4 target. https://thesecondatomicage.com/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-07-04:aalo-ctr:criticality Sat, 04 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT criticality With four reactors now critical, the pilot program clears the three-by-July-4 target set by executive order. https://thesecondatomicage.com/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-07-04:site:other Sat, 04 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT other Valar's Ward-250 reaches full power, 100 kWt, according to DOE's slides to the NRC Commission. https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2619/ML26198A212.pdf https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-07-02:valar-ward-250:power Thu, 02 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT power Valar's Ward-250 runs an Nvidia DGX Spark on electricity from a thermoelectric generator. https://www.igorslab.de/en/valar-atomics-nvidia-dgx-spark-microreactor-power-ai-factory-plan/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-07-01:valar-ward-250:power Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMT power Deployable Energy's Unity achieves zero-power criticality at INL. https://thesecondatomicage.com/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-06-30:deployable-unity:criticality Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT criticality Deep Fission's Form S-1 publishes reactor-level cost estimates — ~$152M per 8 MWe FOAK unit and ~$84M per 15 MWe NOAK unit, capital all-in including the initial fuel load. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001918102/000110465926064074/tmb-20260331xs1.htm https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-06-30:deep-fission-gravity:other Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT other AtkinsRéalis files a Notice of Intent with the NRC to license the Enhanced CANDU 6 in the US. https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/AtkinsRealis-kicks-off-US-licensing-for-CANDU-technology https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-06-24:atkinsrealis-ec6:licensing Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT licensing Valar's Ward-250 begins power ascension and holds 10 kWt of thermal output overnight. https://x.com/valaratomics/status/2069097526985424974 https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-06-21:valar-ward-250:power Sun, 21 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT power Valar Atomics' Ward-250 achieves zero-power criticality in Utah. https://www.ans.org/news/2026-06-22/article-8136/valars-ward-250-reaches-criticality-in-utah/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-06-18:valar-ward-250:criticality Thu, 18 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT criticality Antares Nuclear's Mark-0 achieves zero-power criticality at INL — the first reactor critical under the pilot program. https://thesecondatomicage.com/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-06-04:antares-mark-0:criticality Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT criticality The NRC dockets the University of Illinois KRONOS MMR construction permit application. Final safety evaluation targeted for Sep 2027. https://www.nrc.gov/facilities-safety/new-reactors/advanced-reactors/who-were-working-with/advanced-reactor-application-projects/university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign-kronos-micro-modular-reactor-kronos-mmr https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-05-18:nano-kronos-uiuc:licensing Mon, 18 May 2026 12:00:00 GMT licensing Construction begins on TerraPower's Natrium plant in Kemmerer, Wyoming. https://thesecondatomicage.com/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-04-23:terrapower-natrium:construction Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT construction Kairos Power breaks ground on Hermes 2 at Oak Ridge — its first power-producing reactor. https://thesecondatomicage.com/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-04-21:kairos-hermes-2:construction Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT construction DOE approves the Documented Safety Analysis for Mark-0, the final step before startup approval. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260406531563/en/Antares-Receives-DOE-Documented-Safety-Analysis-Approval-for-Mark-0-Demonstration-Reactor https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-04-06:antares-mark-0:licensing Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT licensing The University of Illinois files with the NRC for a construction permit to build a KRONOS MMR research reactor on NANO Nuclear's design. https://www.nrc.gov/facilities-safety/new-reactors/advanced-reactors/who-were-working-with/advanced-reactor-application-projects/university-of-illinois-urbana-champaign-kronos-micro-modular-reactor-kronos-mmr https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-03-31:nano-kronos-uiuc:licensing Tue, 31 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT licensing TerraPower's Natrium receives its NRC construction permit — the first for a commercial non-light-water reactor. https://thesecondatomicage.com/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-03-04:terrapower-natrium:licensing Wed, 04 Mar 2026 12:00:00 GMT licensing Deep Fission raises an $80M Series B. https://thesecondatomicage.com/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-02-01:deep-fission:funding Sun, 01 Feb 2026 12:00:00 GMT funding DOE approves the Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis for Antares Nuclear’s Mark-0. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260126389621/en/Antares-Receives-DOE-Preliminary-Document-Safety-Approval-for-Mark-0-Demonstration-Reactor https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2026-01-26:antares-mark-0:licensing Mon, 26 Jan 2026 12:00:00 GMT licensing Antares Nuclear raises a $96M Series B. https://thesecondatomicage.com/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2025-12-01:antares-nuclear:funding Mon, 01 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMT funding Radiant Industries raises a $300M Series D. https://thesecondatomicage.com/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2025-12-01:radiant-industries:funding Mon, 01 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMT funding Last Energy raises a $100M Series C. https://thesecondatomicage.com/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2025-12-01:last-energy:funding Mon, 01 Dec 2025 12:00:00 GMT funding Valar Atomics' Ward-250 enters the DOE reactor pilot program. https://thesecondatomicage.com/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2025-11-20:valar-ward-250:licensing Thu, 20 Nov 2025 12:00:00 GMT licensing Valar Atomics NOVA core assembly reaches zero-power criticality at NCERC in Nevada — a subsection of the Ward-250 core, taken critical outside the machine. https://www.valaratomics.com/docs/Project-Nova https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2025-11-17:valar-atomics:criticality Mon, 17 Nov 2025 12:00:00 GMT criticality Antares Nuclear's Mark-0 enters the DOE reactor pilot program. https://thesecondatomicage.com/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2025-11-14:antares-mark-0:licensing Fri, 14 Nov 2025 12:00:00 GMT licensing Radiant Industries' Kaleidos enters the DOE reactor pilot program. https://thesecondatomicage.com/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2025-11-11:radiant-kaleidos:licensing Tue, 11 Nov 2025 12:00:00 GMT licensing Oklo breaks ground on the first Aurora powerhouse at Idaho National Laboratory, with Kiewit as lead constructor. https://oklo.com/newsroom/news-details/2025/Oklo-Breaks-Ground-on-First-Aurora-Powerhouse/default.aspx https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2025-09-22:oklo-aurora:construction Mon, 22 Sep 2025 12:00:00 GMT construction Aalo Atomics' Aalo-X critical test reactor enters the DOE reactor pilot program. https://thesecondatomicage.com/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2025-08-20:aalo-ctr:licensing Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:00:00 GMT licensing Aalo Atomics raises a $100M Series B led by Valor Equity Partners. https://thesecondatomicage.com/ https://thesecondatomicage.com/#2025-08-01:aalo-atomics:funding Fri, 01 Aug 2025 12:00:00 GMT funding