NANO to build Illinois MMR facility

The company announced its plans for the new facility alongside Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO).

The facility will enable the company to establish its operations and create 50 new full-time jobs, NANO said. The project is to receive USD6.8 million in incentive awards from the Reimagining Energy and Vehicles in Illinois (REV Illinois) programme, a competitive incentive programme under the DCEO designed to bolster Illinois manufacturing in the clean jobs economy, which is described by the DCEO as a key component of the Pritzker Administration's work to increase investment in clean energy as well as advanced manufacturing.

"I'm proud to welcome NANO Nuclear to Illinois' growing clean energy economy," said Governor JB Pritzker. "Our qualified workforce, unmatched infrastructure, and competitive incentives all make Illinois the best state for companies investing in clean energy production. With support from REV Illinois, this critical investment from NANO Nuclear will create new jobs for hardworking Illinoisans and promote innovative strides in clean energy solutions."

The facility is expected to support nuclear engineers, component manufacturers, researchers, and support personnel who will work in collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on NANO Nuclear's lead project, the KRONOS micro modular reactor (MMR) Energy System, the company said today. In July, it announced it had acquired a 23,537-square-foot demonstration and office facility on a 2.75-acre plot in Oak Brook, Illinois to support the development of KRONOS.

"This new hub will play a central role in our work to construct, demonstrate, and ultimately commercialise our KRONOS MMR Energy System in collaboration with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign," NANO Nuclear CEO James Walker said. "We are committed to using this facility to attract top talent from across the country to achieve our goals, and we're excited to continue growing our story in Illinois."

NANO acquired the Micro Modular Reactor Energy System technology through its USD85 million acquisition of Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation's (USNC's) nuclear technology, which was completed in January, and has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to construct the first research KRONOS micro modular reactor on the university's campus.

According to company information, pending Canadian governmental approvals of the acquisition, further demonstrations of KRONOS MMR are expected to take place at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories' Chalk River site in Ontario. A location for the 15 MWt (5 MWe) demonstration plant was picked out at Chalk River as long ago as 2023.