Last Energy, in conjunction with Texas A&M University System, announced plans to construct a pilot microreactor at the Texas A&M RELLIS campus in Bryan, Texas.
The pilot will feature Last Energy’s PWR-5 reactor, which is a scaled-down version of the company’s commercial pressurized water reactor PWR-20 design that produces 20 megawatts of electricity, according to its Oct. 15 press release.
Last Energy said the 5-megawatt design will be constructed first to demonstrate low-power criticality. Afterwards, in later phases the company said it plans to have the ability to generate electricity for the grid.
According to the release, the project is fully financed with private funding and plans to begin testing in the summer of next year. Last Energy has secured a land lease at Texas A&M RELLIS, procured a full core of low-enriched uranium fuel, signed an agreement with the Department of Energy and began formal submissions, according to the release.
Texas A&M RELLIS is designed to be a research and development campus for new technology.
The company said the initiative “will complement Texas A&M’s leadership in creating the environment to rapidly scale nuclear power innovation,” according to the release.
In February, Texas A&M signed agreements with four nuclear companies to build small modular reactors (SMRs) at its Texas A&M campus. The project “The Energy Proving Ground” is planned to produce up to 1,000 megawatts between all of the companies’ reactors.
The pilot microreactor initiative marks Last Energy’s first U.S. reactor deployment. In August, the company was one of 11 nuclear projects selected for DOE’s advanced reactor pilot program. The initiative seeks to have at least three reactors reach criticality by July 4, 2026.