Aalo breaks ground for experimental reactor

Aalo says it plans to complete construction and achieve criticality by 4 July 2026, the goal date set by the Department of Energy (DOE) for at least three test reactors to reach criticality under the programme to expedite the testing of advanced reactor designs it announced in June. The initiative is part of the Reforming Nuclear Reactor Testing at the Department of Energy executive order signed by President Donald Trump in May.

"Our selection for the Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program is a significant catalyst for achieving our goal of going from 'founding to fission' in less than three years - a feat many deemed impossible just a year ago," Aalo Atomics CEO and co-founder Matt Loszak said, describing the groundbreaking event at the site, located next to Idaho National Laboratory (INL)'s Materials and Fuels Complex, as "a testament to the potential that can be unlocked when public entities and private companies partner together in the critical interest of the nation" at a "pivotal time" for the US nuclear energy industry.

"When Aalo-X achieves criticality next year, it will become the first new sodium-cooled reactor to start operation in the US in over four decades," Aalo Atomics co-founder and CTO Yasir Arafat said.

_{The company's vision for the Aalo Pod power plant (Image: Aalo Atomics)}

Aalo-X will be manufactured at Aalo's pilot factory in Austin, Texas, before being transported to and installed at the INL site. The test reactor is the precursor to the Aalo Pod, a 50 MWe XMR (Extra Modular Reactor) power plant power plant purpose-built for data centres. Each fully modular Aalo Pod will contain five factory built, sodium-cooled, Aalo-1 reactors, using low-enriched uranium dioxide fuel. The company says it will be in commercial use by 2029.

"Today's groundbreaking symbolises the progress that can be achieved when innovation, vision and national purpose come together," said INL Director John Wagner. "Projects like Aalo-X reflect the promise of nuclear energy to meet our nation's historic demand growth and help enable a more prosperous future for our nation," he added.

The companies selected by the DOE for support under the programme are: Aalo Atomics Inc; Antares Nuclear Inc; Atomic Alchemy Inc; Deep Fission Inc; Last Energy Inc; Natura Resources LLC; Oklo Inc (selected for two projects); Radiant Industries Inc; Terrestrial Energy Inc; and Valar Atomics Inc.