NANO Nuclear Energy crossed another regulatory review in its plan to build a small nuclear reactor. It is called the KRONOS MMR, which stands for micro modular reactor.

On June 23, 2026, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) met with the company and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This meeting officially kicked off the review process for their construction permit on the college campus. NANO Nuclear plans to build the microreactor on the university’s campus.

Tracking the Microreactor’s Timeline

Rendering of the Kronos microreactor; Photo: Nano Nuclear

The NRC formally accepted the application back on May 18. Right now, the agency is taking a closer look at the environmental, safety, and technical details.

At the most recent meeting, NRC shared its expected schedule. It plans to finish the environmental assessment in the spring of 2027. However, the safety check will take a bit longer, wrapping up in early fall of 2027. If everything stays on track, initial construction at the university could start in the second half of 2027.

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“The commencement of formal NRC review activities represents an important progression in the licensing process for the KRONOS MMR™ system. With the Construction Permit Application now under formal review, NRC staff can begin detailed evaluation of the environmental, safety and technical information supporting the proposed deployment at the University of Illinois,” Milos Atz, Director of Safety Analysis at NANO Nuclear Energy, said. “We view this latest engagement as another indication that the project is advancing through the regulatory process as anticipated, and we look forward to continuing our support of the NRC review activities in the months ahead.”

Why It Matters

The KRONOS MMR is a stationary, high-temperature gas-cooled microreactor. It is designed to provide clean, reliable power for places that use a lot of energy. A few examples include:

  • Data centers

  • Industrial facilities

  • Remote communities and mining projects

  • Military installations

It is still early, and gaining full regulatory approval takes time. But the company hopes this moves them closer to actually bringing these microreactors to the commercial market.