Interview, Fireside Chat
Radiant CEO Doug Bernauer on Portable Nuclear Microreactors & the Future of Clean Energy
- Radiant targets conducting its first fuel test in 2026, aiming to end a 50-year hiatus on new nuclear designs fueled in the US.
- The company plans to transition from design and simulation in 2024 to manufacturing in 2025, with component ordering confirmed for a date in 2024 and shipping expected before the end of 2025.
- Mass production goals are set for 50 one-megawatt reactors annually, achieving a rate of one unit per week.
- Radiant secured seven government contracts valued at approximately $8.7 million and raised about $60 million in venture capital, with a new funding round anticipated in summer 2024.
- Reactors are designed to operate anywhere globally with no infrastructure beyond a 35-foot fence line, delivering five years of energy without requiring heavy on-site infrastructure or nuclear waste storage.
- The units will provide one megawatt of electric power and approximately two megawatts of heat at 80 degrees for hot water and industrial processes, with potential for future high-temperature steam versions.
- Delivery via land, sea, or air is planned for any location, including remote sites currently relying on expensive diesel, with deployment expected within two days of arrival for disaster relief.
- Remote operational control is intended to allow customers to turn units on or off and request pickup for relocation, with waste removed when the unit is moved.
- A hermetically sealed enclosure at Idaho National Lab will serve as a safety test environment before scaling, while current tests include nuclear-grade graphite with qualification results made public.
- Micro-reactor control systems and digital twin technology developed for the one-megawatt unit are expected to be transferable to larger scale reactors, supporting the Department of Defense's PEELE program and national lab regulatory efforts.
- Costs for the small reactor are projected to be in the tens of millions of dollars, contrasting with the billions required for large reactors.
- The company anticipates replacing diesel generator banks in locations like coastal Alaska to eliminate emissions and expects reactors to function for several winters without constant refueling.
- Public support for nuclear technology is noted as high, but the company fears this sentiment could fade if delivery is delayed, prompting a strategy to collaborate with the NRC using digital twin simulations.