US-based Aalo Atomics has received official approval from the US Department of Energy-Idaho Operations Office (DOE-ID) to pursue authorisation for the Aalo-X experimental reactor to be located at Idaho National Laboratory (INL).
This comes after DOE granted Aalo Atomics a Siting Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in May. “We are pleased to report that a preferred site for Aalo-X is nearing finalisation, setting the stage for construction to begin in the next few years,” the company noted. This experimental reactor will pave the way for future commercial applications of the Aalo-1 reactor and help to refine and validate the technology. Also in May, Aalo Atomics said it had completed the conceptual design of the Aalo-1 – a factory-fabricated 10 MW sodium-cooled microreactor that uses uranium zirconium hydride (UZrH) fuel.
In July, Aalo submitted a pre-application regulatory engagement plan (REP) with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the planned Aalo-1 microreactor. The REP details the planned pre-licensing application interactions with NRC. There is no regulatory requirement for a REP and the level of detail a prospective applicant includes are entirely voluntary and should be agreed upon in discussions with NRC staff.
The Aalo-X reactor will provide invaluable data on reactor performance, passive safety systems, fuel behaviour, and sodium coolant behaviour. These insights will feed directly into the development of the Aalo-1 slated for commercial deployment in a few years.
“By testing the Aalo-X reactor at INL, Aalo Atomics can leverage the site’s facilities and nuclear expertise, ensuring that we meet the highest standards of safety and quality.” Aalo said. “The lessons learned from Aalo-X will be instrumental in optimising the performance and manufacturability of our commercial reactors.
The Aalo-1 reactor, which will be developed in parallel to Aalo-X (but will go critical a few years later), is designed for broad commercial application. With a 0.6-acre footprint, and factory-built modules, the Aalo-1 reactors will be built at scale to meet growing energy demands, especially for data centres, which require dependable, around-the-clock power.
“Over the next several months, we will work closely with INL and DOE to finalise the Aalo-X design, secure site approvals, and begin the next phase of development,” Aalo said. “Our goal is to demonstrate Aalo-X at full power by 2027, providing the learnings necessary to finalise the Aalo-1 reactor for commercial deployment by the end of the decade.
