Samsung Invests in Kairos Power's Nuclear Reactor Project
Kairos Power has secured up to $100 million from Samsung C&T to build a nuclear reactor for Google. The deal includes an equity investment of $70 million and in-kind engineering services worth up to $30 million.
The 50-megawatt demonstration reactor is part of Kairos' agreement with Google to generate about half a gigawatt of electricity by 2035. The company has already received approval from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build two reactors in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and expects Hermes 2 to begin operating in 2030.
Kairos is using a relatively new form of nuclear fuel known as TRISO, which encapsulates tiny seeds of uranium fuel in layers of ceramic and carbon. The design has been tested for years but never built at commercial scale. Samsung C&T, with its experience building over a dozen nuclear reactors globally, will provide valuable expertise to help Kairos meet the terms of its deal with Google.