Dear Friend,
In August, Kairos Power announced a first-of-a-kind collaboration with Google and the Tennessee Valley Authority. Through a new power purchase agreement, the Hermes 2 Demonstration Plant in Oak Ridge will deliver up to 50 MW of clean, reliable electricity to the TVA grid, helping to decarbonize Google data centers in Tennessee and Alabama.
This pioneering deployment model presents an innovative solution to the surging energy demands of digital innovation and AI, driving local economic growth and opportunity, while protecting ratepayers from first-of-a-kind development costs.
To accelerate our mission, we are enlarging Hermes 2 to a 50 MWe plant powered by a single commercial-scale reactor – a step change in scale from the smaller 14 MWe reactors envisioned in the original dual-unit plant concept. This strategic pivot is made possible by the significant learning we’ve gained through our iterative development process. Moving from our Engineering Test Units to the first Hermes reactor, we are systematically de-risking manufacturing, construction, and operations for Hermes 2 and our commercial fleet.
This learning is on full display at our Oak Ridge campus today, where we recently installed the final drilled pier for the Hermes 1 foundation. It concluded our first phase of nuclear construction, which began earlier this year, and set the stage for continued progress as we test new approaches. The site serves as a proving ground to pilot advanced construction methods that will help us drive down costs and shrink project timelines to deliver affordable advanced reactors at scale.
As we look toward the future, we’re focused on building a sustainable foundation on which to grow. There is significant work to be done, and we remain humble about the challenges ahead. But reinventing the nuclear energy deployment model is a marathon, not a sprint, and Kairos is in it for the long haul.
– Mike
Kairos Power, TVA, and Google Collaborate to Deliver Clean Electricity to the Tennessee Valley
On August 18, Kairos Power announced a pioneering new collaboration with Google and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to help meet the surging demand for energy while bolstering U.S. leadership in both advanced nuclear and digital technologies. Through a new power purchase agreement (PPA) between Kairos Power and TVA, Kairos Power’s Hermes 2 Demonstration Plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn., will deliver up to 50 MW of reliable, clean energy to the TVA grid that powers Google data centers in Tennessee and Alabama.
This is the first PPA for a U.S. utility to buy electricity from an advanced reactor and the first deployment under Kairos Power’s landmark deal with Google to build 500 MW of new generation by 2035.
“This partnership is an important enabler to making advanced nuclear energy commercially competitive. The re-envisioned Hermes 2 gets us closer to the commercial fleet sooner and could only be made possible by close collaboration with TVA and Google, and a supportive local community. We are excited to grow Kairos Power’s operations in Oak Ridge while writing a new chapter in the region’s distinguished nuclear history.”
– Mike Laufer, Kairos Power Chief Executive Officer and co-founder
Architect’s rendering of Kairos Power’s reactor demonstration campus in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
“To power the future, we need to grow the availability of smart, firm energy sources. This collaboration with TVA, Kairos Power, and the Oak Ridge community will accelerate the deployment of innovative nuclear technologies and help support the needs of our growing digital economy while also bringing firm carbon-free energy to the electricity system. Lessons from the development and operation of the Hermes 2 plant will help drive down the cost of future reactors, improving the economics of clean firm power generation in the TVA region and beyond.”
– Amanda Peterson Corio, Google’s Global Head of Data Center Energy
Read Google’s blog post to learn more about its commitment to catalyzing the next generation of advanced nuclear technology.
WATCH: Powering the Next Generation of Nuclear Technologies from Google Sustainability
Making Strides in Nuclear Construction
Foundation work progresses in the Hermes footprint with the ETU 3.0 facility in the background.
Construction of the Hermes demonstration reactor (Hermes 1) is progressing steadily in Oak Ridge. In September, we installed the final drilled pier of the 52 that will anchor the reactor building to bedrock, concluding the first stage of nuclear safety-related construction, which began in May. Next, we proceed to the mat slab and damper system, which will further stabilize the structure.
One of the key innovations in the Hermes design is a seismically isolated foundation that incorporates hydraulic dampers to control and reduce vibrations, protecting the building from earthquakes. Seismic resilience by design ensures reliable, long-term performance and enables the use of a standardized, modular building concept that can be deployed in a range of locations and geologic conditions.
Our campus in Oak Ridge serves as a test bed for advanced construction methods and innovations from other industries that we’re incorporating into nuclear systems, including drilled piers and pre-fabricated modular construction. These innovations will help increase the efficiency of building reactors and ultimately lower costs for the fleet, modernizing the delivery of nuclear infrastructure to enable widespread deployment.
Kairos Power, Barnard, and Oak Ridge National Lab are partnering to produce complex concrete structures using 3D-printed forms.
Another innovation is the use of 3D-printed polymer composite forms for casting high-precision concrete structures with sophisticated geometries to drive down the construction schedule. Kairos Power is piloting this capability in partnership with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Development Facility and Barnard Construction.
This summer, we used 3D-printed forms to create a mockup of the Hermes reactor bioshield, a complex structure composed of interconnecting members with ridges to prevent radiation leakage at the seams. It would take weeks to create concrete structures like this using traditional wood or steel forms, with far less precision. However, using 3D printing, we were able to complete the project in days, achieving the tight tolerances required for nuclear systems.
WATCH: 3D Printing Reshapes Construction for Nuclear Energy from Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
“This project fits squarely into our iterative development approach. By building and testing the molds for the columns first, we’re able to refine our methods, engage early with regulators, and reduce risk before we scale up the construction method for Hermes and future plants. That’s been a core part of our strategy from day one.”
– Edward Blandford, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder
Building the Next Engineering Test Unit in Oak Ridge
The Engineering Test Unit facility is a hub for innovation at Kairos Power’s Oak Ridge campus. This non-nuclear testing and training center will feature a full-scale mockup of the Hermes reactor, which will be used to test remote handling equipment, train operators, and refine maintenance procedures. The Oak Ridge Engineering Test Unit (ETU 3.0) will be our third iteration, incorporating lessons learned from earlier builds to help fine-tune systems and optimize plant operations.
In July, we installed the ETU 3.0 reactor vessel, which was manufactured using cutting-edge electron beam welding technology in partnership with Cambridge Vacuum Engineering and the University of Sheffield AMRC. ETU 3.0 provided an opportunity for us to evaluate the use of electron beam welding to fabricate high-quality reactor vessels. The method produces welds significantly faster than conventional arc welding, with precise tolerances and improved consistency, and has the potential to lower costs for Kairos Power’s commercial fleet.
Installing the ETU 3.0 vessel was a contract milestone under Kairos Power’s Technology Investment Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), which is investing up to $303 million to support Hermes’ construction and operations through the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.
Responsible Reuse
As part of our mission to protect the environment, Kairos Power is committed to building on brownfield sites wherever possible and responsibly managing waste streams. This summer, we recycled ~70,000 pounds of lead and copper removed from the Hermes footprint during excavation. The materials were remnants of the power distribution system from the K-33 uranium enrichment facility, which previously occupied the site. Coordinating with the Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management, Barnard, and Los Alamos Technical Associates (LATA), we safely removed and stored the materials, ultimately certifying them to be contamination-free and suitable for local recycling.
Putting the “Modular” in Small Modular Reactors
The non-nuclear Engineering Test Unit series serves as a vehicle for solving engineering problems and gaining operational experience, enabling rapid progress that we will carry forward to Hermes and beyond. With ETU 2.0, now under construction in Albuquerque, N.M., we are learning to modularize reactor systems as discrete equipment skids, which can be fabricated in parallel with building construction, then assembled into a finished whole.
The Kairos Power team has installed the first 11 modular equipment skids inside the ETU enclosure at our Manufacturing Development Campus, with more on the way. ETU 2.0 will have more than 30 skids, which will come together into a fully integrated system, providing a template for the modular Hermes reactor design.
Kairos Power is fabricating all the skids in our Albuquerque facilities, along with key components, including the Primary Salt Pump, which we’ve upgraded from the ETU 1.0 design, and 11 U-stamped vessels that we produced in our ASME-certified vessel shop. Controlling the production rate and quality of critical components in-house helps us to expedite timelines, maintain design flexibility, and meet precise specifications.
Quality control is central to our Albuquerque manufacturing operation, which recently earned ISO 9001:2015 certification – with zero findings in our certification audit. This rare accomplishment reflects the strength of Kairos Power’s Quality Management System, the discipline of our processes, and our dedication to continuous improvement.
Automating Fuel Pebble Production
At our lab in Albuquerque, Kairos Power’s Fuels team has automated the mass production of our proprietary fuel form over multiple iterations as part of the ETU 2.0 effort. The golf-ball-size fuel pebble surrogates, which contain no actual uranium, will be used to test the ETU 2.0 Pebble Handling and Storage System. The team has fabricated 13,500 of the 50,000 non-nuclear fuel pebbles needed for ETU 2.0, marking a step change in productivity from the labor-intensive process used in ETU 1.0.
Building on lessons learned from the ETU 2.0 pebble campaign, the Fuels team will replicate the pebble production line at Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Low Enriched Fuel Fabrication Facility to make nuclear fuel for the first Hermes reactor.
Collaborating on Commercial Fuel
Kairos Power advanced reactors use TRISO fuel embedded in annular graphite pebbles roughly the size of a golf ball.
In September, we announced a new collaboration with BWXT to explore opportunities for jointly manufacturing commercial TRISO fuel for Kairos Power reactors and other potential customers.
Combining Kairos Power’s established capabilities in fuel pebble production with BWXT’s 20+ years of experience in TRISO fuel fabrication, we are evaluating paths to produce fuel for the Hermes 2 Demonstration Plant, support Kairos Power’s commercial scale-up, and lower fuel costs for the advanced reactor industry.
“Commercial TRISO fuel production is the next step in vertically integrating Kairos Power’s fuel supply chain. With BWXT as a trusted partner, we have a clear strategy to produce the high-quality fuel products that will unlock advanced nuclear energy’s potential.”
– Edward Blandford, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder
Closing a Domestic Supply Chain Gap
Another significant puzzle piece for deploying advanced reactors at scale is the molten fluoride salt coolant we call “Flibe.” To make it, we need enriched Lithium-7, which is not currently produced in the U.S. (Natural Lithium contains two isotopes: Li-6 and Li-7. We must remove the Li-6 to make salt that can be used inside a reactor.)
Kairos Power’s Salt team is working to close this domestic supply chain gap by building a new salt production facility that will utilize a proprietary process to enrich lithium in an environmentally responsible manner. The Albuquerque plant will incorporate lessons from the historic Molten Salt Reactor Experiment and Kairos Power’s Molten Salt Purification Plant to produce the reactor-grade salt we need for the Hermes series and future deployments.
Our reactors are not the only ones that require enriched lithium. The U.S. light water reactor fleet uses enriched lithium hydroxide to control cooling water pH. We are engaging with industry to explore broader U.S. applications for this new production method beyond Kairos Power reactors.
We’re Hiring!
Kairos Power is actively hiring for a number of positions, including CNC machinists, CNC programmers, welders, fabricators, electrical technicians, operators, engineers, and business operations roles. The Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance recently highlighted two of our employees who relocated to the city for high-quality jobs. Kairos Power has created over 150 full-time positions in Albuquerque since opening our facility in 2020, and we continue to grow. Visit our Careers page to explore current opportunities.
George Maddox, a lead process operator at Kairos Power, shares his experience relocating from Texas to join our Operations team.
Samantha Wang, a senior processing engineer at Kairos Power, relocated from Tennessee to New Mexico to help build our Salt Production Facility.
Until Next Time
We’ll be back soon with more updates as we continue a busy year of building. Until then, connect with us on LinkedIn and X, and subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay updated on our progress.
What We’re Reading, Watching, and Listening To:
- Meet the only US company building an advanced nuclear reactor – E&E News by Politico
- The Non-nuclear route to cheaper reactors – Latitude Media
- Google, Kairos Power plan advanced nuclear plant for Tennessee Valley Authority grid by 2030 – CNBC
- TVA, Google team up on advanced nuclear reactor project – Chattanooga Times Free Press
- Kairos Power named one of 10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch for the second year running – MIT Technology Review
- The Oak Ridge Corridor is Power America’s Clean Energy Future – Knoxville News Sentinel
- The future of nuclear energy: Next-gen nuclear innovation & breakthroughs – We Don’t Have Time
