Radiant Selected by U.S. Department of Energy to Launch First Microreactor Test in DOME

Photo by: Radiant Industries, Inc.

Radiant, the California-based company developing portable nuclear microreactors, has been conditionally selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct the first test of a new reactor design at the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) facility, housed at Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

Testing is set to begin in Spring 2026, making Radiant’s Kaleidos microreactor the first to be tested in DOME, a new national testbed built to fast-track advanced microreactor technology.

Radiant was chosen through a competitive selection process and is currently progressing through the DOE’s multi-phase authorization to design, fabricate, and operate its test reactor at the site. The Kaleidos reactor is a 1 MW portable nuclear system, designed for long-term operation without the need for refueling and powered by advanced TRISO fuel particles.

"Just nine months from now we will have the opportunity to put the 53rd reactor in INL’s long history into the DOME," said Doug Bernauer, Radiant Founder and CEO. "In short order, we will fuel, go critical, and operate, leading to the mass production of portable reactors which will jumpstart American nuclear energy dominance."

Radiant’s DOME selection follows a prior DOE conditional approval to provide the company with HALEU (high-assay low-enriched uranium) fuel for the Kaleidos test, an essential step toward reactor demonstration and eventual deployment.

With plans to potentially build a manufacturing facility in Wyoming, Radiant's momentum represents a significant step for both national energy leadership and local economic potential.