After the wild success experienced by multiple companies under the Department of Energy's Reactor Pilot Program (RPP) and Fuel Line Pilot Program (FLPP), four new fuel chain and reactor development companies have been selected under the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad (NELP).
The NELP is the combined successor program to the RPP and the FLPP. The program provides “streamlined pathways for developers wanting to demonstrate advanced nuclear energy technologies and accelerate commercial deployment”.
Some of the reactor developers under the RPP have gone from chalkboard to fully constructed microreactors preparing for going critical in just over a few months, leading to multiple other companies begging for ways to also harness the DOE’s lightning track.
Four companies were selected under the initial round of NELP participants: General Matter, Radiant Nuclear, Deployable Energy, and NuCube Energy. NuCube is entering the program in partnership with Idaho State University.
General Matter is the only non-reactor developer in the program. They are working to build out new uranium enrichment capacity in the country, amid the United States's current reliance on imports from countries like Russia and domestic production controlled by European nations.
Radiant Nuclear is currently progressing a project under the RPP with this new effort under the NELP likely building on the project. After Radiant’s testing is done at the INL DOME, they will likely transition to a different location, either at INL or another DOE-controlled area, to deploy the next iteration of their Kaleidos reactor or work on a yet-to-be-announced design.
Deployable Energy and NuCube Energy are some of the newer entries into the reactor development startup space. Both companies are working on microreactor designs for remote applications, military applications, and potential use for critical loads, including data centers.
Deployable’s design is the Unity Nuclear Battery, a 1 MW high-temperature gas-cooled reactor. NuCube has yet to provide a lot of details as to what their "Deccacell" project is, but a previous filing with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission indicates it may be a heat pipe design similar to designs from Antares Nuclear and Westinghouse.