Smaller reactors bring nuclear power closer to fulfilling its promise

Two SMRs began operating near Baxley, Georgia, as the U.S. Department of Energy allocated $900 million for SMR deployment and the European Commission pledged up to €200 million. SMRs generate up to 300 MWe using factory-built modules, TRISO pebble fuel and molten-salt coolants. Kairos Power’s Hermes 1, the first non-light-water reactor approved by the NRC in five decades, is testing the design, while its 50-MWe Hermes 2 demo plant has a Google power-purchase agreement and aims for commercial operation by 2030.