Kairos Power has initiated site preparation and excavation for the Hermes Low-Power Demonstration Reactor, marking a significant milestone as the first non-light-water reactor to receive permission for construction in the United States in over five decades.
Hermes: A Stepping Stone to Commercial Advanced Reactor Technology
Hermes is a non-power prototype of Kairos Power’s fluoride salt-cooled high temperature reactor (KP-HFR). It stands as the first and only Generation IV reactor to secure approval for construction from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).
With a targeted operational date of 2027, this reactor represents the company’s inaugural nuclear build, a critical step in its iterative approach towards commercializing advanced reactor technology.
The primary goal of Hermes is to demonstrate the feasibility of producing cost-effective nuclear heat, although electricity generation is reserved for its successor, the proposed Hermes 2 plant.
Collaboration with Barnard Construction
Kairos Power has partnered with Barnard Construction Company, Inc. for the construction work at the Hermes site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
Concurrently, the companies are collaborating on the construction of the third Engineering Test Unit (ETU 3.0), a non-nuclear demonstration facility located alongside Hermes.
This facility will generate valuable experience in supply chain, construction, and operations, providing crucial insights to inform the Hermes project.
Kairos Power emphasizes that this iterative approach allows lessons learned from ETU 3.0 civil construction to be seamlessly applied to the Hermes facility.
Hermes: A Pivotal Step in Advanced Reactor Deployment
Mike Laufer, CEO and co-founder of Kairos Power, views Hermes as a pivotal step in the deployment of advanced reactor technology.
He stated, “The knowledge we gain from the construction and operation of this reactor will be indispensable for enabling continuous innovation in our testing program and accelerating Kairos Power’s progress toward delivering true cost certainty to our customers.”
Modular Construction to Revolutionize Nuclear Construction
Both Hermes and ETU 3.0 will utilize modular construction techniques, with reactor modules manufactured at Kairos Power’s facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and then transported to Oak Ridge for assembly.
This approach aims to showcase the transformative potential of factory-built small modular reactor designs in revolutionizing traditional nuclear construction practices.
Partnerships and Collaborations
Hermes represents a collaborative effort between Kairos Power and partners including Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, EPRI, and Materion Corporation.
Additionally, Kairos Power is collaborating with Los Alamos National Laboratory to produce TRISO pebble fuel for the Hermes plant and has a cooperative development agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority to provide engineering, operations, and licensing support.
Regulatory Approvals and Future Plans
The NRC granted a construction permit for Hermes in December of last year.
Kairos Power has also applied for a construction permit for the electricity-generating Hermes 2 test reactor, planned for construction at Oak Ridge as well, featuring two 35 MWt units similar to the Hermes plant.
Notably, the NRC recently completed its final safety evaluation for the Hermes 2 construction application ahead of schedule, leveraging lessons learned from its previous review of the Hermes plant.