The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) just accepted a construction permit application for a new nuclear reactor. NANO Nuclear Energy and the University of Illinois submitted the paperwork back in March, and now the government is officially checking it for safety and technical details.

This moves the project, called the KRONOS MMR, from a regular design concept into the actual licensing phase. If everything goes according to plan, the review could be finalized next year, and construction could start at the university by late 2027.

The KRONOS MMR

The KRONOS is a small, stationary reactor that runs at high temperatures using gas cooling. It is designed to bring clean energy to places that need reliable power, like data centers, remote towns, mining sites, and military bases.

Because it is so small compared to traditional nuclear plants, it belongs to a new group of advanced microreactors. NANO Nuclear believes this is the first commercial microreactor of its kind to make it this far in the U.S. regulatory process.

Getting past this first government hurdle is a major milestone for the team, showing that the project has enough detail to be taken seriously.

“Entering the NRC review process is an important progression for the KRONOS MMR™ program and further reinforces our transition from development toward deployment,” said Florent Heidet, Chief Technical Officer of NANO Nuclear Energy.

The Nuclear Reactors Next Steps

While the government does its review, the company is working on the next steps. They are talking to suppliers for parts and building a smaller, non-nuclear test version at their facility in Oak Brook, Illinois, to make sure the technology works perfectly.

“We believe entering formal NRC review reinforces the maturity of our approach and marks continued progress toward making microreactor deployments a commercial reality,” said Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear Energy.

The University of Illinois is also an important part of this process. The school wants to use this project to help train the next generation of energy workers.

“The NRC’s acceptance of our Construction Permit Application marks a significant step forward for the Illinois Microreactor Demonstration Project and for the future of advanced nuclear energy in the United States,” said Caleb Brooks, Professor and Donald Biggar Willett Faculty Scholar of Nuclear, Plasma and Radiological Engineering at the U. of I.’s Grainger College of Engineering.