US-based start-up NANO Nuclear Energy has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois on behalf of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I) to collaborate on the development, construction, and operation of its KRONOS MMR on campus as an advanced research reactor.
This represents an extension of NANO Nuclear’s relationship with U of I. Its existing research agreement with U of I provides for support in design and regulatory licensing of the prototype KRONOS MMR. The MOU lists the next steps for the design, construction, ownership and ultimate operation of a KRONOS MMR on the U of I campus.
“We are pleased to take this significant step toward the construction and operation of the first KRONOS MMR modular microreactor in the United States in partnership with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign,” said Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear. “Our collaboration has already advanced key aspects of KRONOS MMR™ development, and this MOU further reinforces the strength and long-term goals of our partnership.”
NANO Nuclear and U of I will establish joint project and operations steering committees to oversee technical coordination, safety compliance, scheduling, and long-term operational planning. U of I will support regulatory and permitting engagements with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the State of Illinois, contributing to enabling activities and coordination efforts as appropriate, while engaging with the US Department of Energy (DOE) on fuel availability and procurement options. NANO Nuclear will partner on full project execution, subject to applicable regulatory approvals, including detailed engineering, site preparation, reactor system installation, rigorous testing, and initial startup of the
Following construction, licensing, and the start of operations, U of I will assume ownership and operational responsibility for the microreactor and will collect operational data to strengthen its research and educational programmes. NANO Nuclear will collect high-resolution performance and systems-level data to guide reactor optimisation and inform design refinement for future commercial deployment.
The KRONOS MMR Energy System is a high-temperature, gas-cooled microreactor that uses helium coolant and TRISO 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.
“By working alongside a widely respected academic institution with profound expertise in nuclear engineering, we are creating the ideal environment to generate real-world operational data and refine future deployment strategies,” said NANO Nuclear CEO James Walker.
Earlier in December, NANO Nuclear Energy welcomed its commercial partner LIS Technologies’ receipt of a key Radioactive Material Licence from the State of Tennessee for its Demo Test Loop Facility being developed on the K-25 site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
The licence enables LIST to proceed with procurement of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) feedstock, to handle various forms of uranium, and to advance research, development, and optimisation activities in support of its technology development and ultimate deployment of a commercial uranium laser enrichment facility in the US.
NANO Nuclear and LIST are parties to a collaboration agreement under which NANO Nuclear will develop supportive fuel cycle capabilities that will enable LIST’s enriched UF6 to become part of an integrated fuel manufacturing process. This collaboration is part of NANO Nuclear’s vertically integrated fuel pipeline strategy to produce Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) and High-Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU), with the aim of supplying fuel to both NANO Nuclear’s micro modular reactor energy systems in development and the wider nuclear energy industry customers.
“This is a major milestone not only for LIS Technologies, but for the future of the US nuclear fuel supply chain,” said James Walker. “LIST has demonstrated exceptional technical execution by rapidly advancing a uniquely American, patented enrichment technology toward testing readiness at a historic US nuclear site. As a strategic investor and commercial partner, we view this achievement as a critical step toward restoring secure, domestic enrichment capacity and enabling the next generation of advanced reactors. Importantly, NANO Nuclear is committed to supporting this progress by developing the upstream capabilities necessary to supply uranium hexafluoride feedstock to LIST as it advances toward eventual commercial operations in coming years.”
NANO Nuclear believes that LIST’s laser enrichment technology has the potential to eventually be fully developed, licensed and capable of producing commercial quantities of LEU and HALEU fuel. In late 2024, LIST was selected DOE as one of six contract awardees in the $3.4bn Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for LEU Acquisition Program, aimed at expanding US domestic commercial enrichment capabilities. NANO Nuclear acts as a key subcontractor, bringing its technical and regulatory expertise to the collaboration.
NANO Nuclear and LIST are related parties through certain common ownership and commonality of individuals who serve as senior officers or consultants to both companies. Jay Yu serves as both the Founder/Chairman of NANO Nuclear and a lead executive for LIST.
LIST is the only US-origin developer of a patented third-generation laser uranium enrichment technology. It uses infrared lasers to selectively excite and separate uranium isotopes. The process is designed to produce both LEU and HALEU, which is critical for many next-generation reactor designs.
NANO Nuclear is developing several advanced microreactor designs. As well as Kronos MMR, these include: ZEUS – a solid-core battery reactor designed for 15-20 years of continuous power without refuelling; LOKI MMR – a portable, space-capable microreactor designed for extraterrestrial applications and cis-lunar missions; and ODIN – a low-pressure coolant reactor optimised for simplified operations.
