Last spring, the Trump administration took action to cut red tape, to create a faster nuclear regulatory approval process. Now, we’re beginning to see the benefits.
The Department of Energy (DOE) granted approval last week for Radiant Industries’ Kaleidos nuclear microreactor, which would be the world’s first mass-produced microreactor, making it possible to build and bring nuclear facilities online much more quickly. Microreactors could be constructed in a factory and easily deployed to remote locations to provide reliable power, much like diesel generators today. This approval — the first of its kind under the DOE’s new streamlined Authorization Pathway for Nuclear Facilities, represents a significant milestone in the new era of faster and more accessible nuclear power deployment begun by the White House last year. Next up, the reactor design will be subjected to a full-power test, granted to the Idaho National Laboratory’s Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) facility.
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