Radiant Nuclear plans to build its first portable nuclear generator factory on land near the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge Site in Tennessee, the company announced this week.
The El Segundo, Calif. based microreactor developer company will invest $280 million in its new factory and create 175 new jobs in Roane County, according to Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s Monday press release.
Radiant said the factory will begin its construction in early 2026, according to the company’s press release. The R-50 factory is meant to produce up to 50 microreactors per year, the company said.
With construction of the factory slated for early 2026, Radiant said this agreement helps keep the company on track to produce its first Kaleidos reactor by 2028.
Kaleidos is a portable high-temperature gas-cooled microreactor with a net generating capacity of one megawatt. Radiant has been developing the microreactor since 2020 when the company was founded.
The company plans to test its first reactor in 2026 and seeks to be commercially viable for deployment by 2028.
The land for Radiant’s new factory includes portions of the historic K-27 and K-29 Manhattan Project sites at Oak Ridge.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R), Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tenn.) and Tennessee Economic Development Commissioner Stuart McWhorter all attended the Radiant announcement ceremony.
Lee applauded Radiant’s decision to invest into Oak Ridge and contribute to the state’s overall investment into nuclear power generation.
“Tennessee is quickly emerging as the national leader in clean, reliable energy production”, Lee said in the release. “I’m proud to welcome Radiant to the Tennessee family and look forward to the vital role this company will play on the global stage, producing what will become the world’s first nuclear microreactor from right here in Oak Ridge,” Lee went on to say.
Radiant is the sixth company to locate in Tennessee using the state’s Nuclear Energy Fund, according to the state’s news release.