For a long time, the idea of small, portable nuclear reactors felt like a dream. However, NANO Nuclear Energy is working to make them a reality, and recently hit a major goal. The company, along with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, officially handed in a Construction Permit Application (CPA) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

At face value, it sounds like boring jargon. While that’s mostly true, it means they’ve stopped talking about designs and are moving toward actually building a microreactor. This application includes years of engineering work, safety checks, and plans for the reactor’s location on the university campus.

A Push Towards Deploying the Microreactor

By submitting this permit, NANO Nuclear is now one of only three companies working on “Generation IV” advanced microreactors to reach this milestone. It acts like a filter, separating the projects that are still just experiments from the ones ready to be built and used.

The company doesn’t want to just build one microreactor for a lab. Their goal is to create a standard design that can be manufactured in a factory and sent out to different markets. This first unit at the University of Illinois is the testing ground for that bigger plan.

“Submitting the Construction Permit Application to the NRC is a defining moment for NANO Nuclear,” said Florent Heidet, the company’s Chief Technical Officer. “This milestone represents years of engineering, regulatory engagement, and disciplined execution.

“It is where advanced nuclear projects begin to separate into those that are ready for execution and those still requiring significant R&D efforts,” Heidet added. “We are now firmly on the path toward constructing, demonstrating, and ultimately deploying our reactor technology at scale. This is not just a step forward for NANO Nuclear – it is a step toward making advanced nuclear a commercial reality.”

The Next Steps

Now that the paperwork is in, the government will spend about a year reviewing the safety and environmental impact of the reactor. While that happens, the team is headed to a facility in Oak Brook, Illinois, to work on a non-nuclear version of the reactor to show how the tech works in person.

“Reaching the CPA stage places NANO Nuclear in a small group of companies that are advancing toward commercial deployment at scale,” Jay Yu, the Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear Energy, said. “This process demands a significant level of technical maturity, regulatory alignment, and operational readiness. It is a powerful validation of our technology and our strategy.”

Yu added, “With this milestone achieved, our engineering teams are now laser focused on building out a reduced-scaled KRONOS MMR™ non-nuclear engineering demonstration unit in our newly renovated Oak Brook, Illinois technical and demonstration facility.”

If all goes well with the review, the company will move straight into construction and, eventually, full-scale production.