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TVA to test advanced nuclear reactor in Oak Ridge

Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Photo / Vision 2020 celebrates the cleanup of the East Tennessee Technology Park, formerly the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant codenamed K-25. K-25 was built in unprecedented secrecy in the 1940s as part of the Manhattan Project to provide enriched uranium for the world first atomic bomb.
Cleanup of the site included more than 500 facilities, at the heart of which were five massive uranium enrichment buildings. Since the site was officially closed in 1987, DOE work has focused on transforming it into a multi-use industrial park, national park, and conservation area.
Achieving Vision 2020 marks the first time in the world an entire enrichment complex has been cleaned and demolished. — Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Photo / Vision 2020 celebrates the cleanup of the East Tennessee Technology Park, formerly the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant codenamed K-25. K-25 was built in unprecedented secrecy in the 1940s as part of the Manhattan Project to provide enriched uranium for the world first atomic bomb. Cleanup of the site included more than 500 facilities, at the heart of which were five massive uranium enrichment buildings. Since the site was officially closed in 1987, DOE work has focused on transforming it into a multi-use industrial park, national park, and conservation area. Achieving Vision 2020 marks the first time in the world an entire enrichment complex has been cleaned and demolished. Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management Photo / Vision 2020 celebrates the cleanup of the East Tennessee Technology Park, formerly the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant codenamed K-25. K-25 was built in unprecedented secrecy in the 1940s as part of the Manhattan Project to provide enriched uranium for the world first atomic bomb. Cleanup of the site included more than 500 facilities, at the heart of which were five massive uranium enrichment buildings. Since the site was officially closed in 1987, DOE work has focused on transforming it into a multi-use industrial park, national park, and conservation area. Achieving Vision 2020 marks the first time in the world an entire enrichment complex has been cleaned and demolished.

By Dave Flessner May 6, 2021 3 min read

Near where scientists built the first atomic bomb and later pioneered some of the earliest nuclear reactors 75 years ago, the next generation of nuclear power technology may soon be put to the test.

Kairos Power, a California-based nuclear research company that has developed a fluoride salt-cooled, high-temperature reactor (KP-FHR), announced plans Thursday to build a test reactor to try out its technology at the East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) in Oak Ridge. Kairos is partnering with the Tennessee Valley Authority to deploy the demonstration reactor on 185 acres the company is buying on the ETTP campus, which was developed on a brownfield site reclaimed from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Named Hermes, the Kairos’ reactor could be built by 2026 and help test out the new technology, which is designed to be simpler and more efficient than the previous generation of nuclear plants and potentially less costly to build and maintain. Cindy Chen, a spokeswoman for Kairos Power, said the company is planning a $100 million investment in the test facility in the East Tennessee Technology Park, making it one of the biggest projects among the 20 or so companies now operating in the technology campus.

“Additional expansion at the Oak Ridge site is under consideration for future manufacturing and engineering capabilities,” Chen said. “We anticipate at least 55 employees for the Hermes operations.”

As part of its agreement with Kairos, TVA will provide engineering, operations, and licensing support to help Kairos Power deploy its low-power demonstration reactor.