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Kairos Power begins construction on demonstration reactor​

Posted at 5:35 pm July 31, 2024
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Kairos Power has started construction on a test nuclear reactor in west Oak Ridge. The Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor is the first of its type to be approved for construction by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the first non-light-water reactor to be permitted in the U.S. in more than 50 years, a press release said. (Image courtesy Kairos Power)

Kairos Power has started construction on a test nuclear reactor in west Oak Ridge.

The Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor is the first of its type to be approved for construction by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the first non-light-water reactor to be permitted in the U.S. in more than 50 years, a press release said.

The NRC approved a construction permit for the test reactor at Heritage Center industrial park, the former K-25 site, in December.

“Hermes represents a critical milestone on Kairos Power’s iterative path to commercializing advanced reactor technology,” the press release said.

Kairos Power said it has contracted with Barnard Construction Company Inc. to perform sitework and excavation at the Hermes site in Oak Ridge, and that work began earlier this month.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Business, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Slider, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Barnard Construction Company, Heritage Center, Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor, Kairos Power, Mike Laufer, NRC, Quincy Anderson, test nuclear reactor, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

NRC approves construction permit for Hermes reactor

Posted at 7:32 pm December 12, 2023
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

An image showing the proposed Hermes demonstration reactor by Kairos Power. The test reactor would be built at Heritage Center industrial park in west Oak Ridge. (Image by Kairos Power)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a construction permit for a test reactor at Heritage Center industrial park in west Oak Ridge. The NRC decision was announced Tuesday, and construction could start next year.

The 35-megawatt thermal Hermes demonstration reactor would be built by Kairos Power, which has headquarters in Alameda, California, and a Tennessee operation in Oak Ridge.

Hermes would use molten salt to cool its reactor core. It would not generate electricity. Instead, it would provide operational data to support the development of a larger version for commercial power, the NRC said.

“A critical step on Kairos Power’s iterative pathway to commercializing its advanced reactor technology, the Hermes reactor will demonstrate the company’s ability to deliver clean, safe, and affordable nuclear heat,” the company said in a press release.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Roane County, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, demonstration reactor, Hermes, Hermes 2, Hermes test reactor, Kairos Power, Mike Laufer, molten salt, NRC, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Test reactor would help with decarbonization, supporters say

Posted at 3:55 pm November 23, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Kairos Power has proposed a Hermes test reactor at the Heritage Center, the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge. A model of the test reactor is pictured at a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission meeting in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Note: This story was updated at 11:20 a.m. Dec. 1.

A nuclear test reactor proposed in west Oak Ridge could help as the United States tries to lower carbon dioxide emissions and reduce the effects of climate change, supporters said during a public meeting last week.

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Filed Under: Business, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Slider Tagged With: construction permit, DOE, EIS, environmental impact statement, fluoride salt-cooled reactor, HALEU, Heritage Center, Hermes, Hermes test reactor, high-assay low-enriched uranium, Jim Hopf, K-31, K-33, Kairos Power, Molten Salt Reactor Experiment, NRC, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Peyton Doub, Scott Burnell, test reactor, Tracy Boatner, TRISO, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

NRC seeks public comment about test reactor

Posted at 1:05 am November 16, 2022
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Kairos Hermes test reactor (Image via Nuclear Regulatory Commission)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment and will have a public meeting and online seminar Wednesday about issuing a construction permit for a proposed test reactor in Oak Ridge.

The NRC has issued a draft environmental impact statement for the construction permit for a Kairos Hermes Test Reactor. The nuclear reactor would not produce electricity, but it would test Kairos Power’s fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor technology, according to the NRC.

Completed in September, the draft environmental impact statement includes the NRC staff’s preliminary analysis of the environmental impacts of issuing a construction permit to Kairos.

“After weighing the environmental, economic, technical, and other benefits against environmental and other costs, the NRC staff’s preliminary recommendation, unless safety issues mandate otherwise, is that the operating license be issued as requested,” the NRC said in a notice published in the Federal Register.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Government, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: environmental impact statement, Kairos Hermes Test Reactor, Kairos Power, NRC, test reactor, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Frady named CROET president, CEO

Posted at 10:29 am February 1, 2022
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Teresa Frady

Teresa Frady has been named president and chief executive officer of the Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee.

CROET is a regional economic development nonprofit organization that helps find new uses for U.S. Department of Energy facilities and property, including at sites that are no longer used or needed. The goal is to spur private development and create jobs.

Frady’s appointment was announced during the January meeting of the CROET Board of Directors. She replaces Lawrence Young, who is retiring after serving more than 26 years as CROET’s president and CEO.

“I am so pleased that Teresa has accepted the challenge of leading CROET into its next phase,” Young said in a press release. “Teresa has been an integral part of the success of the organization, and I am confident that she, as my successor, will enhance upon the legacy established by the organization’s founders.”

Frady began her career with CROET 22 years ago, the press release said. She has risen through the ranks with increasing responsibility by serving in such roles as account manager, accountant, chief accountant, chief operating officer, and executive director.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anderson County, Business, CROET, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Roane County, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: Community Reuse Organization of East Tennessee, CROET, East Tennessee Technology Park, Heritage Center, K-25 site, Kairos Power, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, pilot fuel manufacturing, Roane County, Teresa Frady, test reactor, U.S. Department of Energy, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation

Kairos Power, TVA to collaborate on low-power demonstration reactor

Posted at 10:50 am May 6, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

An aerial view of the K-33 site at Heritage Center, the former K-25 site, in west Oak Ridge. (Photo courtesy TVA)

The Tennessee Valley Authority and Kairos Power plan to collaborate on setting up a low-power demonstration reactor at the East Tennessee Technology Park, the former K-25 site in west Oak Ridge.

As part of this agreement, TVA said in a press release Thursday that itwill provide engineering, operations, and licensing support to help Kairos Power deploy the reactor, named Hermes.

“Teamwork is the hallmark of the nuclear industry and, through this partnership with Kairos Power, we can share TVA’s safety and innovation insights to advance nuclear technology while gaining experience with licensing for advanced reactors,” said TVA President and Chief Executive Officer Jeff Lyash. “Nuclear power is the key to fueling our economy with reliable, affordable, and clean electricity, and it is critical to our national security.”

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Business, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: East Tennessee Technology Park, fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor, Hermes, Jeff Lyash, K-25 site, Kairos Power, low-power demonstration reactor, Mike Laufer, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA

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