Kairos Power has successfully installed the reactor vessel for its third Engineering Test Unit
The announcement came just ahead of ETEC's annual Nuclear Opportunities Workshop that starts its two-day run on Tuesday.
Just ahead of the East Tennessee Economic Council‘s Nuclear Opportunities Workshop that starts on Tuesday, Kairos Power announced that it has successfully installed the reactor vessel for its third Engineering Test Unit (ETU 3.0) at the company’s campus in Oak Ridge. Leveraging industry and academic partnerships, the project pilots innovative manufacturing and construction processes, aiming to lower costs and accelerate production timelines for Kairos Power’s future commercial fleet.
“The installation of our third ETU reactor vessel marks a significant moment on our commercial development pathway,” said Edward Blandford, Kairos Power’s Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder. “ETU 3.0 will serve an important mission as a testing and training platform to ensure safe and efficient operations for the Hermes reactor. But, more broadly, the expertise and capabilities we gain from the ETU program will help pave the way to successfully deploy Kairos Power’s commercial fleet.”
The installation of the 14-foot-tall ETU 3.0 vessel marks a significant construction milestone for the non-nuclear reactor mockup. The ETU 3.0 building is being constructed around the reactor vessel in a streamlined sequence, which allowed the oversized component to be moved into position before the roof and other elements are in place. Kairos Power is collaborating with Barnard Construction to build the facility, using it as a proving ground to refine civil construction methods and quality assurance procedures for the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor, currently under construction at the same site.
The ETU 3.0 vessel installation is a contract milestone under Kairos Power’s Technology Investment Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for up to $303 million in risk reduction funding through the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). Under the agreement, Kairos Power receives fixed, performance-based payments from DOE upon demonstrating the completion of pre-determined project milestones.
“Kairos Power’s novel contract with DOE allows us to remain agile while demonstrating continued progress as a responsible steward of public funding,” said Mike Laufer, Kairos Power’s Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder. “ARDP support is helping us to move quickly through progressively sophisticated iterations, gaining essential learning that will enable commercial deployment of our advanced reactor technology on a meaningful timeline.”
Like what you've read?
Forward to a friend!