The Duck Curve#molten salt reactors
Centrus ships a centrifuge, Kairos makes Flibe, ARPA-E picks fuel projects
Centrus Energy began shipping the first new centrifuge from its Oak Ridge plant to its Ohio enrichment expansion on October 29, 2026, with first new capacity expected in 2029. The same day Kairos Power said it had made about 8 metric tons of Flibe for its ETU 2 salt test, and ARPA-E selected eight projects for up to a combined $50 million under HORNIG, its recycled nuclear fuel program.
DOE approves cost-shared funding to speed up molten chloride reactor test
The US Department of Energy approved cost-shared Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program funding for an accelerated final stage of the Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment, Southern Company said on October 14, 2026, with first criticality expected as early as 2027. The release gives no dollar figure.
Terrestrial asks NRC to rule IMSR turbine side is not nuclear construction
Terrestrial Energy submitted a topical report on October 8, 2026 asking the NRC to confirm that building its IMSR plant's Thermal and Electric Facility (turbines, generators, steam supply) is not nuclear construction under 10 CFR 50.10(a)(1), so it could be built and run before a construction permit.
Samsung C&T commits up to $100M of investment and engineering to Kairos
Kairos Power and Samsung C&T Engineering & Construction Group signed a binding term sheet, announced September 21, 2026, under which Samsung C&T agreed to provide up to $100 million in direct investment and in-kind engineering services, subject to regulatory approvals, for the Hermes 2 Demonstration Plant, and to join Kairos's EPC team. A Kairos spokesperson told TechCrunch the equity investment makes up $70 million of the total. The NRC issued Hermes 2's construction permits on November 21, 2024; no operating license application appears on the NRC's Hermes 2 page as of September 21, 2026.
Natura receives Oak Ridge's 1960s FLiBE salt for its Abilene reactor
Natura Resources said on September 18, 2026 that it received FLiBE salt from DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, via Idaho National Laboratory, for the MSR-1 reactor being built at Abilene Christian University; the release says the salt contains 99.99% enriched lithium-7 and that Natura was selected through a competitive DOE solicitation issued in August 2025. ANS reports more than 2 metric tons, the secondary coolant of the 1965 to 1969 Molten Salt Reactor Experiment, now to be the primary constituent of the reactor's fuel salt. The NRC issued the construction permit on September 16, 2024.