National Reactor Innovation Center

09/16/2026

NRIC is thrilled to unveil our digital twin work for the DOME test bed!

Over the past year, we've progressed from a descriptive model — synchronizing engineering data across requirements management and product lifecycle management platforms — to predictive, physics-based models and controller logic for DOME's Containment Ventilation System and Heat Removal System.

We've also implemented real-time data streaming from the operating facility, with the first live data expected in the coming weeks — a significant step toward smarter, more responsive test bed operations.

Discover more about NRIC's DOME Digital Twin.
Full video here --> https://brnw.ch/21x5JBN

https://brnw.ch/21x5JBO

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09/14/2026

Meet Mary Scales — NRIC Team Spotlight 🚀

As NRIC's team grows to meet the mission of advancing nuclear energy, we're excited to spotlight the people driving that progress.

Mary Scales brings deep expertise in navigating complex, multi-stakeholder environments — collaborating across federal agencies, industry partners, and state, community, and Tribal stakeholders to move nuclear energy initiatives forward.

Mary specializes in translating complex technical, regulatory, and policy considerations into clear, decision-ready insights for leadership, drawing on a background in strategic analysis, cross-organizational coordination, and advisory support within regulatory environments.

She's especially passionate about providing long-range strategy support for NRIC's Mission and Vision — both within INL and beyond.

Meet the NRIC team --> https://brnw.ch/21x5G3m

09/09/2026

NRIC is playing a role in the advancement of nuclear energy. The work happening at Idaho National Laboratory and with NRIC's multiple industry partners are creating important and historic waves in the industry.

NRIC's Sam Reiss will join INL's Shannon Bragg-Sitton, Katya Le Blanc and Project Omega Head of Operations William Pott on Sept. 17th in Ketchum in a panel discussion regarding the future of nuclear energy. This discussion will follow a free public screening of INL's documentary "The Road to Advanced Nuclear".

Find out more -->

Learn about Idaho National Laboratory’s role in the future of nuclear energy when the Sun Valley Pol.... READ MORE

09/08/2026

Meet Walker Washburn — NRIC Team Spotlight 🚀

As NRIC's team grows to meet the mission of advancing nuclear energy, we're excited to spotlight the people driving that progress.

Walker Washburn joined Idaho National Laboratory in 2026 as a Technical Program Manager with the National Reactor Innovation Center. Before coming to INL, Walker spent more than eight years in leadership roles supporting Facilities, Emergency Management, and Operations Support at the Naval Reactors Facility — experience that gives him a strong operational foundation for the mission-critical work NRIC takes on. At NRIC, Walker will work with multiple developers to help them succeed in their quest to commercialize their technologies.

Walker's career started in the U.S. Navy, where he served as a Submarine Officer aboard USS San Francisco (SSN-711). Walker holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Naval Academy.

Welcome to the mission, Walker! ⚛️🌊

Meet the NRIC team --> https://brnw.ch/21x5x8j

09/07/2026

🏗️ Happy Labor Day from NRIC!

Today we're celebrating the hard work that powers progress — and honestly, advancing nuclear innovation has always been a labor of love for our team. Here's to the engineers, researchers, innovators and all the teams that are advancing nuclear energy! ⚛️

08/31/2026

🔗 Collaboration isn't a buzzword in nuclear — it's the roadmap.

At NECX 2026 in Dallas, NRIC Director Brad Tomer, along with Carl Perez (Exodys Energy), Ben Reinke (X-energy), and Mark Natale (Department of Energy) participated in a panel discussion "Unlocking the Path through Collaboration," moderated by Jon Colby.

A theme that stood out: the role of public-private bridges in getting new nuclear technology from concept to deployment. Tomer spoke to this directly — describing NRIC's role as a bridge between public and private entities, pointing to programs like the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad as an example of how federal infrastructure can be structured to support private reactor and fuel-cycle developers through testing, authorization, and deployment.

Reaching the industry's 2050 goals won't come down to any single lab, developer, or agency — it depends on the collaboration between research, regulation, and real-world deployment.

Read more --> https://brnw.ch/21x5kug

08/29/2026

NRIC is proud to welcome 13 new projects to the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad! ⚛️🚀

The National Reactor Innovation Center announced 13 new projects selected to participate in the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad initiative earlier this week — representing 12 innovative developers pushing advanced nuclear technology forward.

We're excited to get to work with these developers. The Nuclear Energy Launch Pad gives these developers a prioritized pathway to the DOE authorization process, along with access to subject matter experts, facilities, and regulatory support tailored to their needs.

This is what building a lasting pipeline of advanced nuclear energy looks like — and NRIC is focused on making it happen. 🔋

08/28/2026

Meet Austin Gutierrez — NRIC Team Spotlight 🚀

As NRIC's team grows to meet the mission of advancing nuclear energy, we're excited to spotlight the people driving that progress.

Austin Gutierrez serves as a Project Manager supporting multiple nuclear developers working in partnership with NRIC. He brings a wealth of hands-on experience from leading large-scale commercial and industrial construction projects — including four years executing infrastructure and decommissioning work at the Naval Reactors Facility.

That field experience gives Austin a practical, boots-on-the-ground perspective that helps bridge the gap between innovative nuclear concepts and real-world implementation — exactly the kind of insight NRIC needs to move projects from paper to practice.

Austin holds a B.S. in Construction Management and an MBA, and is certified by the Project Management Institute as both a Project Management Professional and Program Management Professional .

Learn more about the NRIC Team --> https://brnw.ch/21x5i68

08/26/2026

🚀 The National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) is doing some of the most important work in advanced nuclear right now — and it was on full display at NECX.

NRIC Director Brad Tomer moderated "Criticality to Commercialization," a panel featuring Yasir Arafat from Aalo Atomics, Rita Baranwal from Radiant, and Jason Andrus from Antares.

The conversation dug into how criticality demonstrations reduce technical and investor uncertainty, what developers are learning as they move from test programs into NRC-regulated deployment, and why demonstration strategy, licensing strategy, and project ex*****on planning all need to move in lockstep.

This is the connective tissue NRIC provides — supporting developers move from concept to commercialization.

08/24/2026

🚀 NRIC welcomes new participants to the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad!

The National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) and DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy have selected 12 companies (13 projects) to join the latest round of the Nuclear Energy Launch Pad — helping move advanced nuclear technologies from concept to commercial deployment.

Congratulations to:
Antares
Atlas Atomics
Deployable Energy
Forge Atomics
Hexium
Lightbridge Corporation
Nusano
Oklo
Raven-Flint
Scaled Atomics, Inc.
Sublime Nuclear
Valar Atomics

The Launch Pad offers two flexible pathways:
🔹 Launch Pad INL — access to world-class nuclear research infrastructure and decades of operational expertise at Idaho National Laboratory
🔹 Launch Pad USA — extends that same flexible framework to federal and non-federal sites nationwide

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Read more --> https://brnw.ch/21x5aXs
Learn more: https://brnw.ch/21x5aXt