The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has received a construction permit application from
Kairos Power, LLC, which requests permission to build “Hermes 2,” a two-unit version of its test
reactor. The application for a site next to the company’s existing project in Oak Ridge,
Tennessee, is now available for public inspection on the NRC website.
Kairos filed the application on July 14, providing a preliminary safety analysis report for
the two-unit facility. Each 35-megawatt reactor is the same size as the original test reactor the
NRC is currently reviewing. Each reactor also would use molten salt to cool its core, and they
would share a power generation system. The company will have to submit a separate application
for an operating license in the future.
The NRC staff is reviewing the application to determine if it is complete and acceptable
for processing. If the application is determined to be sufficient, the staff will docket it and start a
detailed technical review. The NRC will then publish a notice of opportunity to request an
adjudicatory hearing on the application before the NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board.
