US-based start-up NANO Nuclear Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Namibia Industrial Development Agency (NIDA) to explore collaborative opportunities focused on developing the domestic nuclear fuel supply chain infrastructure. NANO said: “With Namibia already ranked among the world’s top uranium producers, the collaboration aims to help position it as a key player in the emerging secure and diversified global nuclear fuel supply chain.”
NIDA is a commercial state-owned enterprise under Namibia’s Ministry of Industrialisation & Trade. Under the MOU, NANO Nuclear and NIDA will work together to evaluate opportunities related to the development of infrastructure, technology transfer, education, job creation, and local workforce development. NIDA will help coordinate government and stakeholder engagement, while NANO Nuclear will lead assessments related to industrial capability, fuel logistics, and potential international nuclear fuel supply contracts for NIDA.
Initial work under will focus on identifying viable areas for investment, conducting feasibility studies, and facilitating engagements with other government bodies, technical institutions, and international stakeholders. The MOU also envisions expanding the collaboration into areas of training, joint venture development, and nuclear-ready industrial site planning. NANO Nuclear and NIDA will also work to negotiate and enter into definitive agreement related to the collaboration in the future.
“This first step with NIDA reflects our long-term commitment to helping NIDA build a stable, localised, and internationally respected nuclear fuel supply chain in Namibia,” said NANO Nuclear CEO James Walker. “We are proud to work alongside Namibia to ensure that its natural resources can power not only domestic progress but also global energy resilience.”
Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear noted: “This collaboration with Namibia highlights our mission to position the company as a leader in the global clean energy transition and reinforces our strategic intent to secure the resources necessary to fuel the future of nuclear energy in the United States and abroad.”
He added: “NANO Nuclear brings the advanced nuclear expertise and commercial vision that align well with NIDA’s development mandate. Through education, infrastructure, and responsible industrial development, this collaboration will unlock meaningful opportunities for the Namibian people while supporting NANO Nuclear’s broader strategy to de-risk and decentralise the nuclear fuel supply chain.”
US-based NANO Nuclear Energy said it has purchased a 1.64-acre land package in the historic Heritage Centre Industrial Park in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The purchase includes a two-storey building to house the company’s Nuclear Technology Headquarters. The location is near the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Spallation Neutron Source, the National Transportation Research Centre, and The University of Tennessee’s Centre of Excellence in Engineering. NANO Nuclear expects to grow the number of personnel working at the facility over the next year and expects to ultimately employ up to 30 staff at the facility.
NANO Nuclear is seeking to become a commercially focused, diversified, and vertically integrated company across four business lines: (i) portable microreactor technology, (ii) nuclear fuel fabrication, (iii) nuclear fuel transportation and (iv) nuclear industry consulting services.
NANO clearly sees Africa as a promising market for its products. In 2024, it signed a dela with the Rwanda Atomic Energy Board (RAEB) for the possible deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) and microreactors. An RAEB statement said the arrangement aims to support Rwanda’s energy requirements in a more sustainable and safe manner. NANO undertook to provide technical assistance, training, and education programmes to increase the number of domestic nuclear energy personnel in Rwanda. However, at present Rwanda has an installed electricity generation capacity of only 332.6 MWe, most of which is from hydropower dams and the rest from methane, solar and peat.
