Deployable Energy Announces Unity Demonstration Reactor Achieves Criticality at Idaho National Laboratory
Milestone validates reactor design and underscores focus on speed to market by meeting the Administration's July 4th goal in roughly 150 days of project execution
Deployable Energy today announced that its demonstration reactor Unity has successfully achieved initial criticality at the National Reactor Innovation Center located at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The accomplishment marks a major milestone in the development of the company's Unity Nuclear Battery which in a record time of roughly 150 days since project kick-off with INL is the third test reactor to reach criticality, achieving the Trump Administration's goal to have three reactors go critical by July 4th and the country's 250th birthday. The test also marks the first criticality under the U.S. Department of Energy's Nuclear Energy Launch Pad initiative.
Criticality—the point at which a nuclear reactor sustains a controlled, self-supporting chain reaction—was achieved safely and as planned following a comprehensive testing and startup program conducted in collaboration with Idaho National Laboratory and under applicable regulatory requirements.
"Last week, I had the opportunity to see the Unity demonstration reactor firsthand and meet with the talented teams from Deployable Energy, INL and DOE whose work made this historic moment possible on the eve of our nation's 250th anniversary," Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said. "America's nuclear renaissance is underway because of President Trump's bold vision and ambitious goals. Yesterday, we accomplished a significant milestone on a timeline many thought was unachievable. Advanced nuclear technologies like Unity will help power the next generation of American industry, strengthen our energy security, and ensure the United States remains the world's nuclear innovation leader."
"Having instrumental partners in the Department of Energy, INL, and our suppliers has been crucial to the success of this criticality test," said Bobby Gallagher, Co-Founder and CEO at Deployable Energy. "This accomplishment demonstrates the dedication of our team and partners and moves us collectively one step closer to delivering reliable, resilient, and deployable nuclear energy solutions by leveraging the expertise and capabilities at INL and the existing fuel supply chain."
With initial criticality using a full-scale core load now achieved, the next steps will be entering a phased testing program that includes further validating reactor physics, load following, inherent safety, and full-power operations. These tests will provide additional data to verify reactor performance and support future licensing and commercialization efforts. Data gathered during the testing campaign will be used to support continued system validation, performance optimization, and future deployment planning.
"Deployable Energy has set a new benchmark for execution speed in the advanced nuclear sector," said Dr. John Wagner, Laboratory Director at Idaho National Laboratory. "Achieving criticality in roughly 150 days is a remarkable accomplishment, and Idaho National Laboratory is proud to have provided the facilities and expertise that helped make this milestone possible."
Deployable Energy is developing a compact, 1 MWe water moderated, gas cooled deployable nuclear battery designed to provide reliable, carbon-free power where conventional energy infrastructure is unavailable, impractical, or vulnerable. The company's technology aims to support a wide range of applications, including remote communities, emergency response operations, defense missions, critical infrastructure resilience, and industrial energy needs.
The successful achievement of criticality for the Unity demonstration reactor marks the beginning of the next phase of testing and demonstration as Deployable Energy advances toward commercial deployment.
