en.Wedoany.com Reported - Cambridge Atomworks has signed a letter of intent with Chiltern Vital Group (CVG) to build its prototype Odin microreactor at the Berkeley Green site in southwest England.

The site, located within the former Berkeley nuclear power plant area, is now the Gloucestershire Science and Technology Park. The science park was acquired by Chiltern Vital Berkeley (CVB) in 2024. Last September, consultancy firm Turley submitted an outline planning application on behalf of CVB for nuclear and clean energy research and development facilities on the site. If approved, the project would provide up to 600,000 square feet (approximately 5.6 hectares) of research, laboratory, office, manufacturing, and educational facilities, expected to create up to 1,000 jobs.

The Odin microreactor is described as a low-pressure, molten salt-cooled, solid-fuel fission reactor with integrated power conversion and heat rejection systems, providing an independent power supply without external connections. Cambridge Atomworks plans to build and operate the prototype by 2030.

Chris Turner, CEO of CVG and CVB, stated that the agreement is a significant step in the development of the Berkeley Green Science and Technology Park into a global center for zero-carbon energy technology, education, and training within the Severn Edge Nuclear Supercluster. Ian Farnan, CEO of Cambridge Atomworks, noted that after completing physical demonstration activities, the prototype is planned to serve as a training facility for global employees and the UK nuclear workforce, as the UK currently lacks a reactor training facility for this purpose.

Cambridge Atomworks stated that the agreement with CVG is a major step in the regulatory approval process for the Odin microreactor, providing key validation data on microreactor physics and thermal hydraulics for global regulators. The company said the Odin microreactor design uses air as the ultimate heat sink, enabling "walk-away safe" operation without needing proximity to a water source, with cooling achieved through natural circulation of molten salt and an auxiliary air cooling system.

Cambridge Atomworks was founded in 2023, initially developing the Odin microreactor for the US company NANO Nuclear through outsourced consulting. Last year, the company repurchased the relevant intellectual property, and in March this year, signed a memorandum of understanding with engineering, management, and development consultancy Mott MacDonald to collaborate on advancing the microreactor's development.