US-based start-up NANO Nuclear Energy has signed a three-year non-exclusive Engineering Services Master Agreement (ESMA) with the US subsidiary of Argentina’s IMPSA (Industrias Metalúrgicas Pescarmona Sociedad Anónima). No specific financial details or transaction values were publicly disclosed in the announcement.
NANO is aiming to leverage IMPSA’s decades of experience in nuclear pressure vessels and heavy manufacturing to advance the engineering and manufacturing feasibility assessment of critical components for the KRONOS MMR micro modular reactor.
The reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is explicitly listed as the primary component for priority assessment. Additionally, both parties have identified reactor cavity cooling systems, used fuel storage systems, and other reactor and transportation-related components as potential areas for collaboration.
IMPSA possesses ASME N and ASME III N certifications (one of the few companies in Latin America with Class 1 heavy nuclear component manufacturing qualifications), with over 40 years of experience in nuclear pressure vessel engineering and manufacturing.
The first phase of the agreement is a six-month design review and manufacturing feasibility study, with IMPSA’s work including:
- Conducting an independent review of KRONOS MMR components against the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section III requirements.
- Identifying potential manufacturing constraints, inspection limitations, accessibility issues, supply chain risks, and design improvement recommendations in advance.
NANO will leverage IMPSA’s extensive background in nuclear pressure vessels, heavy-component fabrication, specialized welding, quality assurance, and non-destructive examinations.
If required by NANO, the scope may extend to detailed engineering and manufacturing drawings, code-compliant calculations, 3D models, and other deliverables. However, future component manufacturing and other commercial activities will depend on the completion of the initial engineering services and their results, and will be subject to applicable regulatory requirements and separate work orders or definitive agreements.
NANO Nuclear CEO James Walker stated that advanced reactors must transition from “drawings and calculations” to modular components that can be “reproducibly manufactured, inspected, qualified, and assembled”. He said IMPSA’s manufacturing experience incorporated during the design phase will help identify constraints earlier and establish a more direct pathway toward future component production.
IMPSA President Jorge Salcedo Hernández described this collaboration as a strategic opportunity for both IMPSA and Argentina’s nuclear industry. “Our goal is to enable NANO Nuclear to accelerate the KRONOS MMR manufacturing process, advancing toward safer and more efficient nuclear systems.”
“IMPSA has developed sophisticated nuclear engineering and manufacturing capabilities over many decades, and we see an opportunity to connect that expertise with the next generation of advanced nuclear projects,” said Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear Energy. “Our objective is to build NANO Nuclear with the capabilities needed to commercialise nuclear technology: reactor engineering, manufacturing, fuel, transportation and project execution. Our relationship with IMPSA can strengthen several of those areas at the same time while establishing an important industrial relationship between the United States and Argentina.”
IMPSA has more than 115 years of experience across multiple industries, specialising in the design and manufacturing of major components for nuclear power plants and in providing engineering equipment and services that ensure high levels of safety and performance. The company has played an active role in the Argentine nuclear industry’s most significant projects and challenges for more than 40 years. It currently participates in the construction, refurbishment and modernization of nuclear facilities, as well as in the development and manufacturing of small modular reactors (SMRs).
The KRONOS MMR Energy System is a high-temperature, gas-cooled microreactor that uses helium coolant and particle fuel. Its compact, modular architecture is intended to support flexible deployment and scalable power output, from single-unit configurations to gigawatt-class multi-reactor clusters capable of powering large industrial and civil campuses as well as other applications, including governmental requirements.
It is currently in construction permit pre-application engagement with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in collaboration with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Targeted groundbreaking and initial construction are slated to begin in the second half of 2027. KRONOD is supported by a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract from AFWERX, the US Department of the Air Force’s innovation arm.
