15 MW microreactor deployment in US advances as Hyundai partners with NANO Nuclear

Advanced nuclear developer NANO Nuclear Energy has partnered with South Korea’s Hyundai Engineering to plan the deployment and execution of a next-generation microreactor in the United States. Under a newly signed agreement, the two firms will work together to deploy the 15-MWe KRONOS MMR system at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The move follows a critical regulatory milestone. Earlier this year, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission accepted the project’s construction permit application for formal review. With federal oversight underway, the developers are now shifting their attention from conceptual design to real-world deployment. Joint teams will handle civil engineering, construction scheduling, and heavy-haul logistics for moving large components. They also plan to map supply chains across the United States and South Korea to ensure essential parts are pre-qualified and delivered on time. “Hyundai Engineering brings project-delivery capabilities that can become increasingly valuable as the KRONOS MMR™ system advances from design to regulatory licensing and into construction and ultimate commercialization,” said Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear Energy. Targeting commercial rollout If this early phase succeeds, Hyundai Engineering could take on a much wider role. Under future binding contracts, the industrial giant may oversee the entire engineering, procurement, and construction process. Its responsibilities could also expand to include manufacturing structural components and managing full site operations. “By participating in demonstration and first-of-a-kind project opportunities, we aim to build valuable project experience, strengthen our capabilities across the advanced nuclear project lifecycle and continuously identify new business opportunities in the global market,” said Woo-Jeong Joo, Chief Executive Officer of Hyundai Engineering. Although the campus reactor serves as a testing ground, both companies view the installation as the start of a broader commercial rollout. The collaboration aims to standardize production, establishing dedicated modular assembly lines that can manufacture standardized reactors for commercial customers worldwide. Beyond generating baseline electricity, future units could supply clean industrial heat, power seawater desalination plants, and produce zero-carbon hydrogen. Hyundai brings valuable technical familiarity to the venture. The engineering firm began researching high-temperature gas-cooled systems alongside the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute back in 2012. To build the broader platform It also spent years supporting the original MMR design under its previous developer, Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation. When NANO Nuclear acquired those reactor assets in 2025, it inherited a design that Hyundai’s engineering teams already understood in detail. Leadership at both firms emphasized that modern nuclear power depends as heavily on supply chain logistics as it does on physics. “NANO Nuclear is deliberately assembling the industrial capabilities required to move advanced nuclear technology from design into repeatable deployment,” concluded Yu. “Our objective is not simply to develop an advanced microreactor; it is to build the broader platform around it.” James Walker, chief executive of NANO Nuclear, noted that project execution will define the industry’s next era. He explained that as the design clears regulatory hurdles, practical site planning and industrial interfaces become just as critical as the reactor’s core engineering.The current agreement remains non-exclusive and does not yet commit direct construction funding. Instead, it creates the operating framework needed to sign binding delivery contracts as licensing milestones are met.Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.An active and versatile journalist and news editor. He has covered regular and breaking news for several leading publications and news media, including The Hindu, Economic Times, Tomorrow Makers, and many more. Aman holds expertise in politics, travel, and tech news, especially in AI, advanced algorithms, and blockchain, with a strong curiosity about all things that fall under science and tech.