INL delivers the first enriched uranium chloride fuel-salt batch for MCRE, the first such fuel made for a fast reactor

TerraPower/Molten Chloride Fast Reactor

Idaho National Laboratory delivered the first batch of enriched uranium chloride fuel salt for the Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment at the end of September 2025, the first chloride-based molten salt fuel ever made for a fast reactor. The reactor needs 72 to 75 batches to reach criticality and is scheduled to run in 2028.

• First chloride-based molten salt fuel ever produced for a fast reactor.
• INL plans four additional batches by March 2026.
• MCRE needs 72-75 total batches to reach criticality.
• Six-month subscale demonstration scheduled for 2028; commercial deployments expected in 2030s.