US Opens DOME Facility In Idaho To Test Mini Nuclear Reactors

[Sunsettommy]

This is good news of this development as we should back away from sending power over a 1,000 miles away when we can have it be regional or local instead.

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Climate Change Dispatch

US Opens DOME Facility In Idaho To Test Mini Nuclear Reactors

USA tests mini nuclear reactors under real conditions, wants to significantly accelerate approvals.

by Blackout News

April 20, 2026

Excerpt:

In Idaho, a new test facility for mini nuclear reactors, DOME, has gone into operation. For the first time, the US has created a place where developers can test mini nuclear reactors under real-world conditions. [some emphasis, links added]

This is crucial for regulatory approvals, as authorities require reliable data on performance, safety, and operational behavior.

This very evidence was often lacking until now, which is why many projects remained stuck in early stages for years. The Idaho National Laboratory and the National Reactor Innovation Center are behind the project.

LINK

[Billy_Bob]

Many of these new micor-reactors are a huge change in the ability to have reliable power in any enviroment and anywhere on earth OR in SPACE....

EL SEGUNDO, CA — July 2, 2025 — Radiant, the company on the forefront of pioneering the world’s first portable mass-produced nuclear microreactor, announced today that it has been conditionally selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct the first test of its Kaleidos microreactor in the National Reactor Innovation Center’s Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) test bed at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The demonstration reactor installation and testing is scheduled to begin in Spring 2026 and would be the first new U.S. nuclear reactor design to be tested in DOME.

The DOME facility is being established at INL to accelerate deployment of advanced microreactor technologies. Radiant was competitively selected and is currently working through the multi-phase DOE authorization process to support the design, fabrication, construction, and testing of each fueled reactor experiment.

Radiant’s Kaleidos reactor is designed to be built on an assembly line and deliver more than 1 MW of electricity in a portable package. Fueled by TRISO fuel particles, Kaleidos is designed for deployment anywhere it’s needed without the need to refuel for years.

Radiant Selected by Department of Energy as First New Nuclear Reactor Design to Be Tested in DOME - Radiant Nuclear

[2cent]

I haven't read all the links, but WOW! this is AMAZING!!! Kudos, and let's keep moving forward, please.

[old dog]

I remember back in the 50's they told us that everyone would have a mini nuclear reactor in the basement.

[Billy_Bob]

I haven't read all the links, but WOW! this is AMAZING!!! Kudos, and let's keep moving forward, please.

Its not just the reacotrs but the newer fuels. TRISO (TRi-structural ISOtropic) are a new breed of fuel. It can not runaway. The design of the fuel makes a runaway (melt down) reactor impossible. The new fuels can use the old waste fuels from older reactors in the creation of the TRISO fuels. The ability to recycle old fuels cleans up messes from 60-70 years of operating nuclear pwoer plants and having to store the old fuels on site..

PNNL-31427 - TRISO Fuel: Properties and Failure Modes

Wyoming had the chance to host Radiant and the idiots pushed them away. Fuel safety and other advances make this a very clean and safe technology. I wanted Radiant here in Wyoming. The reactors use an inert gas, which can not become or carry radiated nuclei. This means no wet (hydrothermal) explosions and the reactor scrams internally meaning no chance of meltdown.

[Billy_Bob]

I remember back in the 50's they told us that everyone would have a mini nuclear reactor in the basement.

I don't think that's going to be a probable outcome with this. The current low end of the atomic reactors is to produce one megawatt. That would be far too much for a single home. I could however see this for housing projects. It would make it so our grids were not so interconnected. This would go well for reliability and stability. Not being affected by EMP weapons would make it even better. They're even talking about using these things on the moon and it is very possible!