US-based start-up NANO Nuclear Energy has acquired a 2.75-acre land and building package in Oak Brook, Illinois, to serve as a regional demonstration and office facility to support the development of its KRONOS MMR Microreactor Energy System in collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) on its campus grounds.
The $3.5m facility includes a stand‑alone building, including a 7,400‑square‑foot non‑nuclear demonstration area. The facility will also initially house up to 60 nuclear engineers, researchers and support staff to engage in component construction and testing for the KRONOS MMR. It will also serve as a base of operations to collaborate with UIUC on the construction and regulatory licensing of the KRONOS MMR.
The Oak Brook Facility is NANO Nuclear’s third US facility and second US site dedicated to physical test work, joining the Company’s facility in Westchester County, New York.
“This new facility will be the hub for NANO Nuclear’s work on our lead microreactor project, the KRONOS MMR energy system,” said Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear. “It will strengthen our collaboration with the University of Illinois and help us advance the KRONOS MMR towards construction, demonstration, regulatory licensing and ultimate deployment. Establishing a local facility was essential to supporting the KRONOS MMR programme. This expansion, alongside our active recruitment drive for nuclear engineers and researchers to join our efforts at this facility, reflects our growing presence in the advanced nuclear energy sector and broadens our reach across the northern United States and into Canada.”
NANO Nuclear has already begun site‑specific engineering work and contracting with key vendors to support the KRONOS MMR project. The new facility’s location near the US-Canada border also positions NANO Nuclear to advance its existing plans to bring the KRONOS MMR to Canada and prepare for construction, testing, regulatory licensing and ultimately commercialisation efforts across North America.
“We are very pleased to finalise the acquisition of this property in Oak Brook,” said NANO Nuclear CEO James Walker. “This facility will serve as our central hub for building the KRONOS MMR Energy System on the UIUC campus, an effort that would mark the first commercial microreactor developed at a US university and position us as a leader in this sector. Illinois has a proud nuclear history, and UIUC is a major driver of innovation and testing in nuclear energy. We’re excited to establish our presence in Illinois as we continue to advance our goals and drive value for our shareholders.”
Earlier in July, NANO Nuclear announcing the engagement of infrastructure company AECOM, under a master services agreement, to support site-specific engineering, environmental analysis and regulatory planning at UIUC. The agreement lays the groundwork for site-specific engineering in preparation for deploying the first MMR at UIUC. Planned activities include detailed environmental reviews, regulatory pathway planning, and site drilling to obtain the geological data required for submitting a construction permit application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
KRONOS MMR (formerly MMR Energy System) was acquired in January 2025 by NANO Nuclear from UNSC following its bankruptcy. NANO Nuclear earlier in April signed a strategic collaboration with UI to construct the first research KRONOS micro modular reactor (MMR) on the university’s campus. The KRONOS MMR is designed as a stationary installation capable of producing power up to 45 MWt. The modular system is capable of being transported by road and assembled at site, and is designed to form part of a multi-system deployment to allow for scaling and lowering levelised cost of electricity.
NANO Nuclear’s other reactor products include ZEUS, a solid core battery reactor, and ODIN, a low-pressure coolant reactor, and the space focused, portable LOKI MMR (formerly USNC’s Pylon).
