Deployable Energy to test 1 MWe Unity microreactor in DOME in 2027
Unity is the third microreactor to reach initial criticality at Idaho National Laboratory's NRIC, meeting the July 4, 2026 deadline.
_17445.jpg)
Key facts
- Testing campaign is self-funded; selected competitively from applications submitted in July 2026
- DOME is built from EBR-II's containment structure; EBR-II operated from 1964 to 1994
- Unity was the first selection under the Launch Pad initiative, in April
- Criticality came under DOE authorization, not the NRC licensing route
- Radiant's 1 MWe Kaleidos runs DOME's inaugural campaign, a five-phase year-long program
Deployable Energy's Unity demonstration reactor has been selected by the US Department of Energy's National Reactor Innovation Center for testing inside the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments, or DOME, testbed at Idaho National Laboratory in 2027. The company plans a full-power test of its Nuclear Unity Battery, a light-water moderated, helium-cooled transportable microreactor designed to generate 1 MWe. The test follows its earlier zero-power criticality work under the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad.
The DOE said Deployable Energy was competitively selected from the most recent round of applications, submitted in July 2026. The testing campaign is self-funded. The DOE said the experiment timeline is based on criteria including technology readiness, fuel availability and regulatory approval plans, and that the company must meet specific milestones to keep its allotted time in DOME.
Unity was third to reach criticality before the July 4 deadline
Unity was the third microreactor to achieve initial criticality at the NRIC at INL by the July 4, 2026 deadline. Deployable Energy ran the criticality experiment under the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad, an initiative launched in March under the INL-based NRIC to build on the Reactor Pilot Program. The Launch Pad uses authorization from the DOE rather than the NRC licensing route to certify and construct first-of-a-kind advanced reactors for demonstration. Unity was the first selection under the Launch Pad, in April.
Second campaign in a testbed built from EBR-II
Deployable Energy will be the second company to test its technology in DOME. Radiant is to run a five-phase, year-long program at the facility, progressing from zero-power criticality to generating full heat and power and running 150 continuous hours without operator assistance, for its 1 MWe Kaleidos transportable microreactor. Westinghouse was also selected last year by the DOE to test the eVinci Nuclear Test Reactor in DOME.
DOME was built from the repurposed Experimental Breeder Reactor-II facility at INL. The dome is 100 feet (30 meters) tall and 80 feet in diameter. It uses the containment structure of EBR-II, which operated from 1964 to 1994. DOME was declared ready to host its first fuelled microreactor test campaign in April.