The Texas A&M University System and US-based start-up Last Energy are to collaborate on the deployment of a pilot microreactor at Texas A&M-RELLIS, an applied research campus. The pilot will feature Last Energy’s PWR-5 reactor, which is a scaled down version of its commercial PWR-20 design.
In November 2024, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents notified the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) that it had potential sites available at Texas A&M-RELLIS in Bryan for multiple companies to test and construct the next generation of nuclear reactors. In August, Last Energy’s 20 MWe PWR-20 was one of 11 projects selected for the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Reactor Pilot Program.
The 5-megawatt reactor will be built to initially demonstrate safe, low-power criticality and, then in later phases, the ability to generate electricity for the grid. Last Energy has secured a land lease at Texas A&M-RELLIS, procured a full core load of low-enriched uranium fuel, signed an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) with the DOE and begun formal submissions.
Last Energy aims for its Texas A&M project to go critical, meaning the nuclear reactor will be a stable operation, by mid-2026, according to Last Energy’s Vice President, Commercial Development Adam Lenarz. This is a very ambitious target but it matches the Energy Department’s goal to have at least three projects in its pilot program achieving criticality by 4 July 2026. It is in line with the Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy Executive Order signed by President Donald Trump in May.
“This is exactly the kind of project we had in mind when we built Texas A&M-RELLIS. It’s bold, it’s forward-looking, and it brings together private innovation and public research to solve today’s energy challenges,” said Chancellor Glenn Hegar of The Texas A&M University System.
So far, Last Energy is the fifth company to partner with Texas A&M to possibly develop an advanced nuclear reactor on the RELLIS campus. In February agreement were signed Kairos Power, Natura Resources, Terrestrial Energy and Aalo Atomics. Land has been offered to the four companies with an application already started for an Early Site Permit with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Last Energy’s PWR-20 design is based on pressurised water reactor technology. The fully modular microreactor, which produces 20 MWe, is designed for flexible siting, plug-and-play installation, and rapid scalability. In October 2024, Last Energy announced plans for four microreactor power plants at the site of the decommissioned Llynfi coal-fired plant in South Wales. The company has completed a Preliminary Design Review for the PWR-20 design with UK nuclear regulators.
