NANO Nuclear Energy, in partnership with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has formally filed a Construction Permit Application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its KRONOS MMR microreactor. This submission makes NANO the first commercially-ready microreactor developer and the third Generation IV reactor company to reach this critical licensing stage.

The CPA follows completion of detailed site characterization, advanced engineering design, safety analysis and environmental evaluations specific to the U. of I. campus. Years of iterative engagement with NRC staff and thousands of pages of documentation demonstrate high regulatory alignment and application readiness for docketing and formal review.

Advancing to the CPA phase positions NANO Nuclear as an execution-focused developer moving from concept to build-ready systems. The milestone underpins plans for standardized reactor manufacturing and future fleet-scale rollouts, signaling progress toward commercial reactor deployment over the next few years.

The University of Illinois collaboration highlights a pathway from engineering design to on-campus construction, with a reduced-scale non-nuclear demonstration unit planned at NANO’s Oak Brook facility. Insights from the CPA process will refine assembly, siting and supply chain strategies ahead of multi-unit licensing and deployment projects.