☢️ First generation four reactor begins construction in the USA

• Kairos Power starts building Hermes, the first Generation Four reactor approved in the USA.
• The reactor uses a new combination of fuel and coolant for increased safety and simpler design.
• With Generation IV, what is now seen as a problem, nuclear waste, is transformed into a resource.

New era for nuclear power begins

Kairos Power has begun construction of Hermes, a low-power demonstration reactor that marks the beginning of a new era in nuclear power technology. This is the first fourth-generation reactor to receive approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the first non-light water reactor allowed in the country in over 50 years.

Hermes uses a new combination of TRISO-coated particle fuel and molten fluoride salt coolant. This combination provides robust inherent safety while simplifying the reactor's design. The reactor will not produce electricity but aims to demonstrate Kairos Power's ability to produce nuclear heat.

Modular construction

Both Hermes and a related project, ETU 3.0, will be built using modular construction techniques. Reactor modules are manufactured in Albuquerque and shipped to Oak Ridge for assembly. This demonstrates the potential for factory-built small modular reactors to transform conventional nuclear power construction.

The US Department of Energy is investing up to $303 million in the project through a performance-based milestone contract. This is funded by the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program to support Hermes' design, construction, and commissioning.

Hermes is planned to be operational by 2027 and will be Kairos Power's first nuclear power construction. In December 2023, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a construction permit for Hermes after a rapid review, made possible by Kairos Power's extensive preparatory work since 2018.

Warp News has previously written about fourth-generation nuclear power.

💡 Optimist’s Edge: This is what you need to know about the nuclear power of the future

The fourth generation nuclear power is not that far away and has greater benefits than you think. In this article, two experts reveal everything you need to know about the energy production of the future.

Warp NewsMagnus Aschan

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