Valar Atomics | Corium

← DOE PILOT

VALAR ATOMICS

FOUNDED

2021

TBD

TYPE

Private

Also tracked in: DOE PILOT

Signal Indicators

FUNDING STRENGTHMEDIUM

DOE Reactor Pilot cost-share · private funding

COMMERCIAL TRACTIONMEDIUM

Early-stage — no public customer announcements

REGULATORY MOMENTUMVERY HIGH

Zero-power criticality achieved at INL — race leader

SUPPLY CHAIN READINESSMEDIUM

DOE HALEU Availability Program · supply secured

Signal indicators reflect Corium editorial assessment based on public data. Not investment advice.

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DOE REACTOR PILOT CIRCUIT

ZERO-POWER CRITICALITY ACHIEVED

▶ HOLDING POSITIONLast activity: date unknown

Last verified: April 2026 · Source: NRC ADAMS / Press Release · Scoring methodology ℹ

Recent Activity

No recent activity on record

Company Profile

Valar Atomics is developing the NOVA / Ward250 — a compact sodium fast reactor competing in the DOE Reactor Pilot Program with a target of zero-power criticality by July 4, 2026. Valar is the current leader in the DOE Pilot standings, having achieved zero-power criticality at Idaho National Laboratory — the first company in the program to cross the finish line. The reactor uses HALEU metallic fuel sourced from the DOE HALEU Availability Program. Valar's Ward250 design is optimized for rapid deployment and on-site power generation.

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Reactor Specs

REACTOR DESIGN

NOVA / Ward250 · Sodium Fast Reactor

Uses liquid sodium metal as coolant instead of water. Operates at higher temperature for greater thermal efficiency.

POWER OUTPUT

1 MWe

Powers ~813 average US homes. A standard large nuclear plant produces ~1,000 MWe.

COOLANT

Liquid Sodium

Enables atmospheric pressure operation. If cooling fails, the reactor naturally shuts down without operator action or external power.

FUEL TYPE

HALEU Metallic

High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium metal. Enables compact cores but requires new US domestic enrichment capacity — a current supply chain constraint.

TARGET OPERATION

2026

US nuclear projects historically require 7–10 years from construction permit to first power. The 2026 target assumes factory-built modular components and no major regulatory delays.

SITE LOCATION

Idaho National Laboratory, ID

Adjacent to Idaho National Laboratory — the DOE's primary nuclear energy research facility. Site has hosted test reactors since the 1950s.

Licensing Milestone Tracker

PRE-APPLICATION

APPLICATION

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UNDER REVIEW

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RAI RESOLVED

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DESIGN CERTIFIED