University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Project Overview

In May 2021, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U. of I.) submitted to the NRC a Letter of Intent to submit an application for a construction permit for a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor.  The proposed research reactor would be based on NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. technology, and would utilize TRISO particle fuel, helium gas coolant, and graphite moderator.  The reactor would be located on U. of I.'s campus in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, and would have a molten salt secondary loop providing electrical power conversion capability for campus use. U. of I. engaged in pre-application activities with the NRC prior to its submission of a construction permit application in March 2026

For more information, please see the U. of I. High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor pre-application documents (NRC Project No. 99902094).

To subscribe to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) email service, select University of Illinois HTGR from the Advanced Reactors list after entering your email into the GovDelivery system.

For information related to the NRC staff’s review of the U. of I. construction permit application please see University of Illinois - KRONOS MMR™ Application. 

Pre-Application Activities

Contacts