Four Companies Selected for Nuclear Energy Launch Pad Program

The Department of Energy announced the selection of four companies for the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad (NELP) program. This program is designed to help private nuclear developers advance their technologies from concept to commercial deployment. It serves as a combined successor to prior pilot programs focused on reactors and fuel lines.

The NELP provides streamlined pathways for developers to demonstrate advanced nuclear energy technologies and accelerate their commercial deployment. According to a social media post from a national laboratory, the initiative supports moving technologies toward practical use.

The four selected companies are General Matter, Radiant Nuclear, Deployable Energy, and NuCube Energy. NuCube Energy is participating in partnership with Idaho State University. General Matter is focused on building new uranium enrichment capacity in the United States, addressing current reliance on imports from countries like Russia and domestic production controlled by European nations.

Radiant Nuclear is advancing a project under a prior program and will likely build on that with this new effort. After testing at a designated facility, the company may transition to another location to deploy the next iteration of its Kaleidos reactor or work on a new design.

and Applications Deployable Energy

and NuCube Energy are developing microreactor designs for remote applications, military uses, and critical loads such as data centers. Deployable Energy's design is the Unity Nuclear Battery, a 1 MW high-temperature gas-cooled reactor. NuCube Energy's Deccacell project has limited public details, but a filing with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission suggests it may be a heat pipe design similar to those from other companies.

Some developers in prior programs have progressed from initial concepts to fully constructed microreactors preparing for operation in just over a few months.