Kairos Power's manufacturing and Engineering Test Unit hub. Site of largest Flibe molten salt system ever built (ETU 1.0 — 12 metric tons of Flibe, 1,000+ hours of pumped salt operations). Iterative ETU program: ETU 1.0 → 2.0 → 3.0 (third installed at Oak Ridge as testing and training platform). Reactor equipment modules for Hermes 2 are fabricated here and shipped to Oak Ridge for assembly — pioneering factory-built SMR delivery model.
35 MWt non-power demonstration reactor. The first non-water-cooled reactor approved for construction in the US in 50+ years (NRC construction permit issued December 2023). Approximately $100M project. Groundbreaking July 2024. First nuclear concrete poured May 2025. Operating license application preparation underway as of February 2026. Targeted operational 2027 (slipped one year from original 2026 target). Functions as the de-risking step for Hermes 2 and the commercial KP-FHR fleet. Barnard Construction is general contractor.
October 2024 — world's first corporate agreement for multiple advanced reactor deployments. Commitment: 500 MW total by 2035. Structure: Hermes 2 (single 50 MWe) is first deployment, followed by 3 subsequent commercial plants (each two 75 MWe reactors = 150 MWe per plant). Google "stepping in and helping shoulder the burden of the cost and risk for first-of-a-kind nuclear projects" (per Energy Secretary Wright). De-risks the entire KP-FHR commercialization arc.
Kairos's commercial reactor design. Single unit: 75 MWe. Standard plant configuration: two reactors with shared power conversion = 150 MWe minimum (two-over-one). Larger configurations: 4-6 reactor pairs = 600-900+ MWe. KEY DESIGN FEATURES: TRISO pebble fuel (cannot melt, retains fission products); Flibe molten salt coolant at low pressure (no high-pressure containment needed); 750°C outlet temp enables high-efficiency power conversion; passive decay heat removal (no electrical power needed for safe shutdown); pebble bed enables online refueling. Modular construction with precast concrete shielding and seismically isolated foundation. NRC TOPICAL REPORT TRACK RECORD: 14 topical reports approved as of January 2026 — most among advanced reactor developers.
First electricity-producing Generation IV reactor to receive an NRC construction permit. NRC permit issued November 2024 (originally for 2 x 28 MWe configuration). RE-ENVISIONED in August 2025 to a single 50 MWe reactor following the TVA-Google PPA — accelerates commercial deployment. Broke ground April 2026. Civil structure uses modular construction with precast concrete and seismically isolated foundation. Reactor equipment fabricated at Albuquerque NM Manufacturing Development Campus and shipped to Oak Ridge for assembly — pioneering factory-built SMR concept. Revenue operations target: 2030.
August 18, 2025 — landmark PPA between Kairos Power and TVA. TVA becomes the first US utility ever to sign a PPA for electricity from an advanced GEN IV reactor. Up to 50 MW delivered to TVA grid. Power supports Google data centers in Montgomery County TN and Jackson County AL. Google receives clean energy attributes through TVA system. Operations target: 2030.
DOE Technology Investment Agreement awarded 2020 — 7-year cost-share commitment for KP-FHR reactor technology development. Foundation of Kairos Power's federal partnership; predates and is separate from the DOE ARDP Risk Reduction track award.
Series B equity round. Specific date and investors not publicly disclosed in detail — Kairos has historically kept private equity rounds quiet, with most public capital reporting tied to DOE cost-share programs.
DOE Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program — Risk Reduction track commitment (February 2024). Different tier from the Demonstration awards that went to TerraPower and X-energy. Funds Hermes 1 reactor construction at Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
DOE finalized contract January 2026 to provide HALEU for Hermes 1 reactor — Kairos's first HALEU allocation. Critical de-risking event given Russia-driven HALEU supply constraints across the advanced reactor sector.