US-based Aalo has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Idaho Falls Power for the deployment of seven factory-built Aalo-1 reactors, totalling 75 MWe. Aalo said the reactors for this project will be constructed in its Austin (Texas) Reactor Factory HQ. “The reactors for this project could be the first factory-built commercial microreactors in this country,” said Yasir Arafat, Chief Technical Officer of Aalo Atomics. “This approach will allow significantly higher predictability in quality, cost, and schedule than today’s large-scale plants, which, at best, take nearly a decade to build.”
In July, Aalo submitted a pre-application regulatory engagement plan (REP) with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for its 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.
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. Also in May, Aalo signed a Siting memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Energy (DOE) – the first step towards deploying its first reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) site in Idaho.
“In addition to producing power for the Idaho Falls community, we want this project to unlock additional markets for microreactors,” said Matt Loszak, CEO of Aalo. “This project invites other potential off-takers, including data centre companies, who are eager to explore the full potential of fleets of small nuclear reactors to unlock the further acceleration of AI.”
The choice of Idaho Falls as the project’s site is strategic, building on the region’s rich history of nuclear innovation, Aalo noted. As home to the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Idaho Falls has long been a centre for nuclear advancements. “This region has been at the forefront of nuclear technology for decades,” Arafat said. “With several new reactor technologies under construction, Idaho Falls is an ideal place to move from research to deployment. Public support for nuclear is strong here, making it a perfect launchpad for our first deployment.”
Aalo, a venture capital–backed company, is led by CEO Matt Loszak and Chief Technology Officer Yasir Arafat, who spearheaded the development of INL’s Microreactor Applications Research Validation & EvaLuation (MARVEL) programme. MARVEL, an 85-kWth/20-kWe microreactor, is intended to serve as a test bed to advance reactor design, providing critical insights on construction, operation, and decommissioning., as well as generate valuable data for private companies. It is expected to begin operation in 2027 at INL’s Transient Reactor Test facility (TREAT).
Aalo is currently working on the construction of a non-nuclear test reactor (Aalo-0), at its Austin HQ, and subsequently will build its first nuclear reactor at INL, called the Aalo Experimental reactor (Aalo-X). “These initial steps will prove the technology and economics in a low-risk, incremental way, according to Aalo. The MOU stipulates that the project will only proceed to full construction once specific cost and uncertainty milestones are met, protecting both Aalo and Idaho Falls Power from potential setbacks. Aalo says it is pursuing other commercialisation paths in parallel, and will announce at a future date how the relative timeline of these paths line up.
“This phased approach allows us to minimise risks while still pushing the boundaries with new nuclear technology,” said Matt Loszak. “We’ve built in multiple layers of risk reduction so that both partners can move forward with confidence.”
Researched and written by Judith Perera
