Microreactor News
Keep up to date with the latest project news here. Related microreactor articles and older stories are also archived on this page.
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Nano Nuclear sign agreement in a major step to license, construct, and operate the first KRONOS MMR™ Research Reactor
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has found a new partner in its mission to bring a nuclear reactor back to campus.
Through this strategic collaboration, the University of Illinois and NANO Nuclear will work together throughout the regulatory licensing process, plant design implementation, public and stakeholder engagement, and workforce development. In these early stages, the University of Illinois will lead the regulatory efforts and support licensing activities with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) as well as public engagement, and play a key role in site layout, constructability assessment, and future operator training programs. NANO Nuclear will oversee plant design, construction, system integration, and commercial pathway development.
“We are very excited to announce this partnership and continue our mission to bring a reactor back to campus,” said Rizwan Uddin, professor and department head of Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering. “This micro reactor project will elevate the level of research and education both in our department and our university.”
University of Illinois gets green light for testing methodology to ensure safe and reliable fuel for the Microreactor Demonstration Project
In an important step in the licensing process to bring a research reactor back to the University of Illinois, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has officially approved a key safety report detailing how fuel will be tested and approved for use. After a thorough review, the NRC confirmed the testing methodology planned for ensuring safe, reliable fuel performance.
"Fuel is one of the biggest sources of uncertainty in any advanced nuclear project. This favorable regulatory outcome represents a significant reduction in that uncertainty for our project, and the SE (Safety Evaluation) establishes a common language between us and the regulator on how the fuel will be shown, with high assurance, to be safe and effective.” - Professor Caleb Brooks, head of the microreactor demonstration program at the University of Illinois,
This approval moves the project significantly closer to becoming a reality.
UIUC-USNC Partnership Reaches Regulatory Milestones in a Major Step for Advanced Reactor Technology
The partnership between University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) in working with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has secured a pair of regulatory outcomes that streamline the regulatory process for Micro Modular Reactors (MMR) in a major step for project success and advanced nuclear in general.
On July 25, 2024, the NRC issued two Safety Evaluations in response to submitted documents. The first affirmed that the screening of regulations by the partnership was found to be acceptable. The result is a well-documented discussion of how NRC regulations apply to the USNC MMR reactor that can be directly applied in forthcoming applications. The second further cleared regulatory uncertainty about how the NRC determines that a design can achieve adequate protection of the public.
These two Safety Evaluations set a clear path forward for MMR deployments. These timely approvals by the NRC represent significant milestones for USNC and UIUC. Application of the approved MMR Principal Design Criteria will provide assurance that USNC’s design process satisfies the NRC’s rigorous regulatory requirements and reduces risk in subsequent license applications.
Archived News
Find older news articles released from the project team, NRC, or other media below.
New reactor on Campus? UIUC's choice for research, education, and training
The microreactor project was featured in the April 2022 edition of Nuclear News. Assembled by a consortium of NPRE faculty, the article outlined the unique opportunities that the project offers for both the University of Illinois and the nuclear industry at large. Reactor prototype testing, workforce development, utilization of microreactor markets, and many more aspects were discussed.
“A clean, sustainable energy future will be made possible
through safe, peaceful uses of nuclear power. Microreactors
are a necessary option as we look to decarbonization
beyond just the centralized electric grid. Our institutions,
whose mission is focused on learning, discovery, engagement,
and economic development, are perfectly aligned
to support these pressing needs and deliver on this reality. . .” (as cited in Nuclear News, April 2022).
Read the full story. To see other articles from ANS's Nuclear News, visit their website.
Several universities to experiment with micro nuclear power
"Small but meaningful amounts of electricity — nearly enough to run a small campus, a hospital or a military complex, for example — will pulse from a new generation of micronuclear reactors. Now, some universities are taking interest." (as cited in AP News, 2023).
USNC Celebrates PFM Grand Opening
Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation will be hosting the grand opening of their Pilot Fuel Manufacturing facility near Oak Ridge National Lab and Knoxville, Tennessee. This represents a major milestone in the fuel production and fabrication timeline for the company's MMR Energy System, which utilizes Fully Ceramic Micro-encapsulated (FCM) fuel.
American Institute of Physics (AIP) Publishes an Overview of New Nuclear, Including the UIUC Project
"Over the last several years, Congress has passed multi-pronged policy initiatives and provided billions of dollars in funding to spur the deployment of “advanced” nuclear reactors, and a sprawling array of projects are now in progress." (as cited in AIP, 2022).
UIUC and others join EPRI’s NuIdea Initiative as it seeks to move nuclear power into district energy market
"The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has launched the Nuclear in District Energy Applications (NuIdea) Initiative to support the use of nuclear power in district energy systems. The new program, which is part of the EPRI’s Nuclear Beyond Electricity Initiative, has the goal of promoting microreactors (up to 10 MW) for heating, cooling, and power applications in institutional settings by 2026 . . . " (as cited in ANS Nuclear Cafe, 2022).
Illinois Microreactor Demonstration Project featured at American Nuclear Society meeting
“We aren't planning to play with neutrons and gamma rays,” Brooks said. “That hasn't been our focus here. We're interested in the research that's necessary to see a distributed energy source like a microreactor become widely adoptable and widely economic. So, we're looking at operations, instrumentation and controls, and the enabling and synergistic technologies that are necessary...”
Nuclear News - December 13, 2021
Micro-reactor project continues pace toward becoming a reality
"Over the summer, UIUC submitted a Letter of Intent to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to apply for a license to construct a research and test reactor facility on the UIUC campus. The submission of the Letter of Intent was the first step in NRC’s two-step process to license a new reactor, including a process of public hearings on the proposed project for full transparency. The first of those meetings was held in October . . ."
Phillip Kisubika - November 11, 2021
UIUC submits Letter of Intent to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to apply for micro-reactor license
"The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) has submitted a Letter of Intent to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to apply for a license to construct a research and test reactor facility on the UIUC campus. The submission of the Letter of Intent (Project No. 99902094) is the first step in NRC’s two-step process to license a new reactor, including a process of public hearings on the proposed project for full transparency . . ."
Phillip Kisubika - June 28, 2021
Illinois Energy Professor discusses microreactor technology
Professor David N. Ruzic of Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering at the University of Illinois featured microreactors on his YouTube channel, Illinois EnergyProf. Ruzic is an Abel Bliss professor in NPRE and the director of the Center for Plasma-Material Interactions (CPMI).
Related Articles
Here are some articles about nuclear power, SMR development, alternative energy sources, and studies that are connected to our project.
- Advanced Small Modular Reactors
- Public support for nuclear energy is highest among plant neighbors
- Kairos Commissions Molten Salt Coolant Production Plant for High-Temperature Nuclear Reactors
- DoD to Build Project Pele Mobile Microreactor and Perform Demonstration at Idaho National Laboratory
- Copper Valley Electric Partners with Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation to perform Feasibility Study of a Micro Modular Reactor (MMR®) Energy System in Alaska
- US university plans to build microreactor
- What is a Microreactor?
- Advanced Nuclear Energy: Frequently Asked Questions for Community Stakeholders
- Freakonomics: Nuclear Power Isn't Perfect. Is It Good Enough?
- A small reactor to bring power to remote locations
- The Ultimate Fast Facts Guide to Nuclear Energy
- Nuclear Energy Factsheet - University of Michigan
- Nuclear by the Numbers
- Biden calls for 100 percent clean electricity by 2035. Here’s how far we have to go.
- “Nuclear Batteries” Offer a New Approach to Carbon-Free Energy
- Engineers: You Can Disrupt Climate Change
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