Aalo Atomics Granted Permission to Pursue DOE Authorization for Experimental Reactor at INL

We are excited to announce that Aalo Atomics has received official approval from the U.S. Department of Energy-Idaho Operations Office (DOE-ID) to pursue DOE authorization for our pioneering experimental reactor, the Aalo-X, to be located at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). This marks an exciting milestone in our journey toward bringing advanced nuclear technology to the forefront of clean energy innovation.

This comes on the heels of the DOE granting Aalo Atomics a Siting Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) earlier this year. We are pleased to report that a preferred site for Aalo-X is nearing finalization, setting the stage for construction to begin in the next few years.

This experimental reactor will pave the way for future commercial applications of the Aalo-1 reactor and help us refine and validate this advanced technology that will ultimately power data centers, communities, and industries around the world.

Why Aalo-X Matters

The Aalo-X reactor is a critical stepping stone in our larger vision to make nuclear energy scalable, affordable, and safe. As an experimental platform, Aalo-X will allow us to gather invaluable data on reactor performance, passive safety systems, fuel behavior, and sodium coolant behavior. These insights will feed directly into the development of the Aalo-1, our flagship 30 MWth sodium-cooled factory mass-manufactured reactor, slated for commercial deployment in just a few short years.

By testing the Aalo-X reactor at INL, Aalo Atomics can leverage the site's world-class facilities and nuclear expertise, ensuring that we meet the highest standards of safety and quality. The lessons learned from Aalo-X will be instrumental in optimizing the performance and manufacturability of our commercial reactors.

The Path to Commercial Deployment

With the DOE’s support and our siting MOU in place, Aalo Atomics is advancing toward a future where mass manufactured reactors provide reliable, carbon-free power to critical sectors like data centers, communities, and military installations. Aalo-X will serve as the proving ground, helping to validate our design approach, including the use of inherently safe uranium zirconium hydride (UZrH) fuel and passive cooling systems in a shut-down scenario. This reactor will be a key contributor to our mission to deliver clean energy solutions that are cost-effective and reliable.

The Aalo-1 reactor, which will be developed in parallel to Aalo-X (but will go critical a few years later), is designed for broad commercial application. With a 0.6-acre footprint, and factory-built modules, the Aalo-1 offers a new paradigm for nuclear energy deployment. These reactors will be built at scale to meet growing energy demands, especially for data centers, which require dependable, around-the-clock power.

What’s Next for Aalo Atomics?

Over the next several months, we will work closely with INL and DOE to finalize the Aalo-X design, secure site approvals, and begin the next phase of development. Our goal is to demonstrate Aalo-X at full power by 2027, providing the learnings necessary to finalize the Aalo-1 reactor for commercial deployment by the end of the decade.

Aalo Atomics remains committed to pioneering the next generation of nuclear energy solutions. With Aalo-X, we are one step closer to realizing our vision of delivering clean, affordable, and reliable nuclear power that can scale globally.

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to progress towards factory mass-manufactured reactors becoming a major contributor to our global energy transition.

About Idaho National Laboratory
Battelle Energy Alliance manages INL for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy. INL is the nation's center for nuclear energy research and development, celebrating 75 years of scientific innovations in 2024. The laboratory performs research in each of DOE’s strategic goal areas: energy, national security, science and the environment. For more information, visit www.inl.gov. Follow them on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.