National Reactor Innovation Center
The NRIC team is committed to tackling the necessary tasks and challenges to identify and fill gaps that hinder advancing nuclear energy. This includes engaging with regulators and stakeholders and enhancing the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory infrastructure and capabilities.
Deployable Energy receives final safety approval ahead of criticality
Deployable Energy announced approval of its Documented Safety Analysis (DSA) by the U.S. Department of Energy earlier this month, representing another regulatory milestone before proceeding to criticality.
Idaho National Lab’s historic milestone: Antares R1 Mark-0 reactor project breaks ground of 50-year legacy
For the first time in nearly 50 years, the laboratory is moving toward the deployment of a new reactor project, the Antares R1 Mark-0. It is a moment that forces us to reconcile the ghosts of mid-century nuclear ambition with the urgent, high-stakes requirements of a 21st-century power grid.
Antares Mark-0 becomes first advanced nuclear reactor to achieve criticality under DOE Pilot Program
Antares Nuclear Inc.’s Mark-0—a sodium heat-pipe-cooled microreactor fueled by high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) fuel compacts—has achieved zero-power criticality at Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL’s) Reactor and Critical Experiment (RACE) facility, becoming the first advanced reactor to reach that milestone under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Reactor Pilot Program.
Antares achieves initial criticality of a privately developed advanced reactor under DOE pilot program
Antares today announced that its Mark-0 microreactor achieved initial criticality at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) under U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) authorization — making Antares the first private company to bring an advanced reactor to criticality under the DOE Reactor Pilot Program. The demonstration was conducted in partnership with DOE, INL, and BWX Technologies, Inc. (BWXT), with integration and observation support from the U.S. Army.
Department of Energy celebrates first advanced reactor criticality
The rebirth of America’s nuclear industry has officially arrived. Today, as part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Reactor Pilot Program, Antares Nuclear’s advanced reactor design, the Mark-0, successfully completed a zero-power fueled criticality demonstration at DOE's Idaho National Laboratory. This test confirms that the reactor can operate safely and establishes a basis that would allow subsequent reactors to produce electricity in 2027 and beyond. The Mark-0 is the first of multiple advanced reactors anticipated to go critical by the July 4th deadline set by President Trump in his May 2025 executive order.
Approval milestone for U.S. microreactor project
The Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis establishes the preliminary safety basis for a criticality test of the reactor, documenting how the design meets the US Department of Energy's (DOE) requirements for hazard analysis, accident mitigation, and operational controls. Approval of the Preliminary Documented Safety Analysis means Deployable Energy is now positioned to complete final preparations for its upcoming demonstration, including commissioning and startup activities under DOE oversight, the company said.