en.Wedoany.com Reported - Antares Nuclear, a California-based startup, recently successfully completed a zero-power fuel criticality demonstration of its Mark-0 microreactor, making it the first reactor to achieve criticality before the deadline of July 4, 2026, set by U.S. President Trump. The demonstration was conducted at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) under a permit from the U.S. Department of Energy. The company stated that it is the first private enterprise to bring an advanced reactor to criticality under the Department of Energy's Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.
This criticality demonstration marks the reactor reaching a sustained nuclear chain reaction state. The Mark-0 is a demonstration reactor used to validate key physical parameters of Antares' sodium heat pipe-cooled microreactor technology, which uses TRISO fuel containing High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU). The U.S. Department of Energy called this a "significant achievement" as the 53rd reactor built at INL to reach criticality since 1951, and affirmed its safety and operational characteristics.
The demonstration was conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy, INL, and TRISO fuel supplier BWX Technologies, with support from the U.S. Army in integration and oversight, as the Army is considered a future end-user of the technology. Antares stated that the demonstration created a replicable licensing pathway that could accelerate commercialization for future reactor demonstrations.
According to Antares' plans, power generation testing will begin in 2027, with the first microreactor power unit expected to be operational next year. The company stated that this criticality demonstration and the resulting licensing mechanism represent a key step toward deploying microreactor power generation at U.S. military bases by the end of September 2028.
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