Kairos breaks ground on Hermes 2, a 50 MWe plant in Oak Ridge due to operate by 2030

Kairos Power/Hermes

Kairos broke ground on Hermes 2 in Oak Ridge, raised to 50 MWe from its original design and due to operate in 2030 as its first power-producing plant. Reactor modules will be built in a factory in Albuquerque and shipped to Tennessee for assembly, which Kairos says cuts cost and time.

• Hermes 2 is a 50 MWe fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactor at East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge, due online by 2030.
• Modular construction—building reactor equipment in Albuquerque and shipping to Oak Ridge for assembly—uses precast concrete and seismic isolation to reduce timelines and costs.
• If licensed and operational by 2030, Hermes 2 would become the first NRC-licensed non-light-water reactor to produce power.