Micro-modular nuclear reactor with 1-MW output one step closer to commercialization

The developer of the Solo Micro-Modular Reactor (Solo MMR) — Terra Innovatum — has announced progress in the U.S. licensing process for its new nuclear technology. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has accepted a key safety and design document for full technical evaluation, bringing the Solo MMR one step closer to commercialization.

In a press release, the company shared its “stepwise” approach, which involves submitting major technical and safety reports to the NRC beforehand to simplify the review process of the full application. A critical document — the Principal Design Criteria topical report — was accepted by the NRC for review. Terra Innovatum says the NRC intends to complete its review and issue a Safety Evaluation of the report by April 2026.

These milestones represent a significant step forward in the licensing process for the Solo MMR and reaffirm the strength of our collaborative approach with the NRC. …We are laying a clear foundation for regulatory confidence while demonstrating the robustness of our technology. — Cesare Frepoli, Co-Founder and Director of Regulatory Affairs at Terra Innovatum.

The Solo MMR is a helium-cooled reactor engineered to run on commercially available low-enriched uranium fuel. It is designed with a compact-focused approach, with applications ranging from powering data centers and remote towns to producing medical radioisotopes for cancer research. It has an output of 1 MW and the company expects it to hit the market by 2028 or earlier.