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Valar Atomics · Site to verify · USA (other)
High-temperature gas microreactor; reached zero-power criticality in June 2026 under the DOE pilot program.
Power
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Fission · Research and prototype
Storage
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energy capacity
Online
Jun 2026
actual
Capital committed
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closed or awarded
Capital pending
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conditional or under review
How it works
Fuel is packed in tough ceramic-coated particles (TRISO), often in billiard-ball pebbles, and cooled by helium gas. Runs much hotter than water reactors, which suits industrial heat.
OPEN IN 3D →Others on this approach
DOE authorized
Valar's Ward 250 high-temperature gas-cooled reactor is operating under DOE Reactor Pilot Program authorization and reached zero-power criticality at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab in June 2026, per DOE and company announcements. No NRC docket, construction permit, or operating license application is on record; Valar's August 10, 2026 Regulatory Engagement Plan Revision 1 describes plans to seek NRC licensing, and an October 2026 ANS report says Valar had not formally engaged the NRC in pre-application activities.
NEXT: No NRC licensing step scheduled or filed. Valar has said it will seek NRC licensing for commercial operation, timing unannounced.
No project-level financing disclosed yet.
Sources: world-nuclear-news.org
Not applicable: test or demonstration machine, sells no power
STEP 4/6 · AT RISK HALEU is the bottleneckMost advanced designs need HALEU (5–20% enriched), with no commercial US supply at scale yet.
STEP 4/4 · WATCH Office relaunched as Energy Dominance FinancingLending shifts toward nuclear and utility expansions (AP1000 offers, Constellation uprates).
Critical inputs
Policy that applies
Developer
Place