NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:NNE) announced it has received a Gateway for Accelerated Innovations in Nuclear (GAIN) Voucher from the U.S. Department of Energy to support development of its KRONOS MMR™ Energy System.
The award, identified as voucher NE-26-38854, will fund a collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) aimed at creating an uncertainty quantification framework for the KRONOS reactor design. The initiative will utilize the SCALE/TSUNAMI code suite to examine nuclear data, modeling assumptions, and operating parameters that influence reactor physics metrics such as reactivity, power distribution, and temperature coefficients.
“The receipt of this DOE’s GAIN Voucher Award represents another important achievement for our engineering and scientific teams,” said Alisha Kasam-Griffith, Director of Reactor Design at NANO Nuclear. She added that the collaboration will provide access to ORNL’s expertise and analytical tools recognized by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
This is the second GAIN voucher received by NANO Nuclear and the first tied specifically to its KRONOS MMR™ Energy System. The patented KRONOS design is a stationary high-temperature gas-cooled microreactor that is currently engaged in construction permit pre-application discussions with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
GAIN vouchers fund work performed at Department of Energy laboratories rather than providing direct payments to companies. Through the program, private developers gain access to technical expertise and research capabilities within the DOE’s national laboratory network to help address technological and commercialization challenges.
The uncertainty quantification framework is intended to strengthen design validation, support regulatory engagement, and advance commercialization of the microreactor system. NANO Nuclear has already completed site characterization for the KRONOS project in partnership with the University of Illinois.
The collaboration is expected to improve confidence in the reactor’s design margins and help reduce regulatory uncertainty as the project moves through development, licensing, and eventual deployment stages.