Kairos Power

Kairos Power is an Alameda, California-based advanced nuclear energy company developing the Fluoride Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactor (KP-FHR) - a next-generation reactor design that uses TRISO fuel pebbles suspended in molten fluoride salt coolant. Unlike traditional light-water reactors, the KP-FHR operates at higher temperatures with inherent passive safety characteristics, meaning it can safely shut down without active intervention. The company takes a vertically integrated approach, manufacturing reactor components, fuel pebbles, molten salt coolant, and plant equipment modules in-house across facilities in Alameda (CA), Albuquerque (NM), and Oak Ridge (TN) - giving it tight control over quality and cost throughout the supply chain.

Kairos Power's flagship demonstration program, the Hermes reactor series, is under active construction in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Hermes 1 made history as the first non-water-cooled reactor to receive an NRC construction permit, while Hermes 2 is a commercial-scale demonstration plant intended to supply electricity to the grid. The company broke ground on Hermes 2 in April 2026. Kairos has also established the KP-OMADA advanced nuclear alliance, collaborating with major partners including Google and TVA to define new commercial deployment models for advanced nuclear. Their iterative development philosophy - build, test, and learn - is designed to accelerate the path from demonstration to full commercial scale.

Kairos Power is a critical node in the US energy supply chain as the country seeks to replace aging natural gas baseload plants coming offline in the 2030s and 2040s. By developing and demonstrating a commercially viable fluoride salt-cooled reactor now, Kairos is building the nuclear manufacturing infrastructure, regulatory precedents, fuel supply chains, and operational knowledge base that the broader US clean energy transition will depend on. With 500+ employees, multiple national facilities, NRC-permitted construction underway, and deep utility partnerships, Kairos represents one of the most advanced and credible advanced reactor programs in the United States today.