First officially approved Gen IV nuclear reactor in the US breaks ground

Kairos Power has broken ground at Oak Ridge on the first officially approved Generation IV reactor ever in the US and the first non-light-water reactor in 50 years. It is being constructed alongside a non-nuclear demonstration unit that will help inform the design of the new reactor facility.

Despite being one of the pioneering nations in the field of civilian nuclear power, the United States has fallen far behind even what were once non-players like China and India. There are a number of reasons for this, some political and some economic, but the drive to cut carbon emissions while sustaining a modern industrial society is causing nuclear reactors to make a comeback in more advanced forms.

On July 17, 2024, Kairos Power began construction at Oak Ridge, Tennessee on its Hernes low-power demonstration reactor. It won't be generating electricity for the grid. Instead, its function will be to develop Kairos's molten fluoride salt-cooled pebble-bed reactor, which is an inherently safe design that is capable of shutting itself down and keeping the reactor core safely cool in the event of an accident.

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