“The commencement of formal NRC review activities represents an important progression in the licensing process for the KRONOS MMR^™ system,” said Milos Atz, Director of Safety Analysis at NANO Nuclear Energy, in a press release. 

“With the Construction Permit Application now under formal review, NRC staff can begin detailed evaluation of the environmental, safety, and technical information supporting the proposed deployment at the University of Illinois.

“We view this latest engagement as another indication that the project is advancing through the regulatory process as anticipated, and we look forward to continuing our support of the NRC review activities in the months ahead.”

Approval on track

On June 23, 2026, the NRC publicly announced that it had met with representatives from U. of I. and NANO Nuclear to mark the start of its review of the CPA and the planned KRONOS MMR^™ research reactor project on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus.

Nano Nuclear is a leading advanced nuclear micro modular reactor technology company focused on developing clean energy solutions. It lead microreactor project, KRONOS MMR^™, is a proprietary, stationary, high-temperature gas-cooled microreactor designed to provide clean, reliable energy for applications including data centers, industrial facilities, remote communities and mining projects, military installations, and process heat applications across a variety of end markets. The microreactor is TRISO (TRi-Structural ISOtropic) fueled, Helium cooled and graphite moderated and has a power output of ~15 MWe.

The acceptance of the CPA initiated the NRC’s formal environmental, safety, and technical review process for the planned deployment of the KRONOS MMR. The meeting also provided additional visibility into NRC’s anticipated review schedule, indicating that the environmental assessment is expected to be completed in the Spring of 2027 and the safety evaluation in early Fall of 2027.

Review milestone met

As stated in a press release, these review milestones are consistent with the company’s previously disclosed expectation that the formal NRC review process could be completed during 2027, which might open up the possibility that construction will begin on campus in the second half of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary project requirements.

“The NRC’s announcement that review activities are now underway demonstrates continued forward momentum for the KRONOS MMR^™ program following acceptance of the Construction Permit Application,” said James Walker, Chief Executive Officer of NANO Nuclear Energy. 

“We are encouraged that the review schedule outlined by the NRC appears generally consistent with the timeline assumptions we previously communicated following acceptance of the application. Our team remains focused on supporting the NRC review process, advancing engineering activities, and continuing preparations necessary to position the project for successful deployment at the University of Illinois. We believe each step forward in the regulatory process further strengthens KRONOS MMR^™’s position among the most advanced commercially focused microreactor programs in the United States,” as concluded in a press release.

Recommended Articles