ORNL, Kairos Power Team Up for Next-Gen Nuclear Energy

Partnership to accelerate development of novel fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor

Published on Feb. 27, 2026

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The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Kairos Power have entered into a $27 million strategic partnership to accelerate the technology needed to deploy a new generation of advanced nuclear reactors and support U.S. nuclear energy goals. Under the partnership, ORNL will provide expertise and access to specialized facilities to review and evaluate Kairos Power's novel fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor design, manufacture components for reactor development and testing, and assess the performance of coated particle fuel.

Why it matters

This partnership builds on ORNL's decades of expertise in molten salt reactor technology and leverages the lab's unique capabilities to support the development and eventual commercialization of Kairos Power's advanced nuclear reactor design. With growing energy demand, this collaboration aims to bring more reliable, affordable nuclear energy to the grid.

The details

ORNL will assess fuel manufacturing and synthesis methods, understand the properties of TRISO fuel pebbles, complete a spent fuel management plan, produce components using advanced manufacturing, and enable remote maintenance systems for Kairos Power's reactor. This data will inform the next steps toward commercial operation of Kairos Power's planned Hermes demonstration reactors in Oak Ridge.

  • ORNL demonstrated the proof-of-concept and performance of the world's first molten salt reactor 60 years ago.
  • Over the next five years, ORNL will provide key learnings from testing and assessments conducted at its specialized facilities.

The players

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)

The Department of Energy's national laboratory that has a long history of driving innovation and efficiencies in the nuclear industry.

Kairos Power

A company developing a novel fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor design that uses molten fluoride salt coolant with TRISO fuel to generate reliable energy with robust inherent safety.

Stephen Streiffer

The director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Ed Blandford

The chief technology officer and co-founder of Kairos Power.

Chris Petrie

The interim section head of Nuclear Fuel Development at ORNL.

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What they’re saying

“Providing the scientific basis for new technology is what we do at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.”

— Stephen Streiffer, ORNL Director (Mirage News)

“DOE's support has been instrumental in helping Kairos Power accelerate our path to technological maturity. By collaborating with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, we gain access to decades of expertise and a unique set of capabilities that we couldn't find anywhere else.”

— Ed Blandford, Chief Technology Officer and Co-founder, Kairos Power (Mirage News)

“It's exciting to see how our historical lineage in molten salt reactor technology and coated particle fuel are being leveraged with the lab's more recent advances in additive manufacturing to support Kairos Power in building the first advanced reactor of its kind in our own backyard.”

— Chris Petrie, Interim Section Head of Nuclear Fuel Development, ORNL (Mirage News)

What’s next

The project marks the fourth partnership between ORNL and Kairos Power since 2020, and the outcomes will support the design, construction and eventual operation of Kairos Power's planned Hermes demonstration reactors under construction in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and subsequent commercialization of its planned fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor.

The takeaway

This strategic partnership between ORNL and Kairos Power leverages the lab's decades of expertise in molten salt reactor technology and specialized facilities to accelerate the development and deployment of a new generation of advanced nuclear reactors, which will be crucial in meeting growing energy demand and supporting the nation's nuclear energy goals.