Kairos Power, an engineering company located on West Tower Avenue in Alameda, has started construction on its Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor, the first non-light-water reactor to be permitted in the U.S. in over 50 years. The reactor will be located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and is expected to be operational in 2027.
The Hermes reactor is one of several projects supported through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program. Kairos recently started excavation and groundwork at the Hermes site through a contract with Barnard Construction Company.
The project, which was cleared for construction in December 2023 by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, is being used to explore the development of the company’s commercial reactor that could be deployed during the next decade. Hermes will use a TRISO fuel pebble bed design with a molten fluoride salt coolant to demonstrate affordable clean heat production.
“We’re thrilled to start building in the historic East Tennessee Technology Park,” said Kairos Power Chief Technology Officer and co-founder, Edward Blandford. “The City of Oak Ridge, the Department of Energy and its contractors, and the Barnard team have all been excellent partners in helping us repurpose this brownfield site. Barnard’s strong track record and people-centered culture are a great match for Kairos Power, and we look forward to working together over the long term to realize the future of clean nuclear energy.”
According to the company’s announcement, 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 is also partnering with Los Alamos National Laboratory to produce TRISO pebble fuel for the reactor and has a cooperative development agreement in place with the Tennessee Valley Authority to provide engineering, operations, and licensing support.
Kairos Power recently completed molten salt testing on the company’s first Engineering Test Unit (ETU) at its manufacturing facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico (see video).
The system is the first of three iterations that are being built to help design, construct and operate Hermes.
Kairos Power 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.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of the headline might have been interpreted as stating the reactor was being built in Alameda, which is not the case. The company is located in Alameda, with all the construction in Tennessee, and testing in New Mexico.
