NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) has secured a $1.25 million Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract from AFWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force, to explore deploying its advanced KRONOS MMR™ Energy System at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C.
The contract represents a significant step toward introducing nuclear microreactor technology to military installations, addressing the Air Force's priority to enhance energy resilience and reduce dependence on vulnerable commercial power grids.
Military Energy Resilience Initiative
The research, development, test and evaluation effort will be conducted in collaboration with the 11th Civil Engineering Squadron at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling. The comprehensive study will examine the military base's current and future energy demands, grid vulnerabilities, siting options, environmental considerations, and regulatory pathways for introducing what would be a first-of-its-kind nuclear microreactor to a dense urban military installation.
"The effort directly addresses the Air Force's priority to enhance energy resilience, reduce reliance on fragile or aging commercial grids, and enable secure, carbon-free baseload power," according to the company announcement.
KRONOS MMR™ Technology Specifications
The KRONOS MMR™ is a stationary, high-temperature gas-cooled microreactor designed to deliver 15 MWe (45 MWth) of carbon-free power for multi-decade use across multiple industries and environments. Multiple KRONOS MMRs can be synergistically deployed to achieve any desired power level.
The system incorporates several advanced safety features, including meltdown-resistant TRISO fuel and passive helium cooling. The reactor is being designed with "walk-away safety" capabilities, allowing it to shut down and remain in a safe state automatically without human intervention or external power. Additionally, the system features "full island-mode microgrid" capability, enabling it to disconnect from the main grid and operate autonomously during outages or disruptions.
The microreactor eliminates dependence on fuel convoys and is being designed to withstand cyber and physical threats while enabling continuous mission-critical operations.
Industry Leadership and Strategic Partnerships
"Winning this D2P2 with AFWERX marks another milestone for NANO Nuclear and a validation of our belief that KRONOS MMR™ Energy System as a leading microreactor program," said James Walker, Chief Executive Officer of NANO Nuclear Energy. "The KRONOS MMR™ represents a transformative potential for energy assurance for the Department of the Air Force, combining a design for resilience, safety, and carbon-free generation in one modular microreactor platform."
Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear Energy, emphasized the broader market implications: "This AFWERX award highlights the growing demand for next-generation nuclear solutions. Our KRONOS MMR™ is designed to protect critical missions in the most demanding environments, and this contract underscores NANO Nuclear's emerging status as the leader in bringing microreactors to the defense ecosystem."
NANO Nuclear is supported on this effort by Stonegardens Advisory LLC, a defense business development and strategy firm headquartered in New York City, which helped position the KRONOS MMR™ reactor within the Department of the Air Force's innovation pipeline.
AFWERX Track Record
AFWERX, a directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory, serves as the innovation arm of the Department of the Air Force with a mission to accelerate agile, affordable capability transitions by connecting the Department with innovators and entrepreneurs. Since 2019, AFWERX has executed more than 6,200 contracts worth over $4.7 billion.
Company Portfolio and Development Pipeline
NANO Nuclear Energy positions itself as an advanced technology-driven nuclear energy company seeking to become commercially focused and vertically integrated across five business lines: portable and other microreactor technologies, nuclear fuel fabrication, nuclear fuel transportation, nuclear applications for space, and nuclear industry consulting services.
The company's reactor development portfolio includes the patented KRONOS MMR™ Energy System, which is currently in construction permit pre-application engagement with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in collaboration with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. NANO Nuclear is also exploring a demonstration project with Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario, Canada.
Additional reactor products in development include "ZEUS," a patent-pending portable solid core battery reactor, and the patented space-focused portable LOKI MMR™, representing advanced developments in modular, on-demand capable nuclear microreactors.
