What was once the site of uranium enrichment facilities used for the Manhattan Project is now set to become the site of the world’s first mass-produced nuclear reactor.
California nuclear startup Radiant Industries announced on Monday that it would be building its first factory to mass produce micro-reactors in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, encompassing parts of two historic Manhattan Project sites.
The sites, K-27 and K-29, were home to 1940s uranium enrichment buildings that were a part of the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant — one of several facilities across the country that were used to help advance the development of the world’s first atomic bombs.
The Tennessee facility stopped production in the late 1980s, and the K-27 and K-29 sites were demolished in 2016 and 2006, respectively.
Radiant said it plans to bring nuclear technology back to the area within the next five years, and expects to break ground in early 2026.
“What was formerly the first Manhattan Project site will now be the site of the first portable nuclear generator production,” Radiant CEO and founder Doug Bernauer said in a statement. “By 2028, we’ll be rolling out the first factory-built nuclear generator, and within a few years we’ll be producing over a dozen per year.”
The company also hopes to test its first reactor sometime next year.
The announcement comes just a few months after the startup revealed that it raised $165 million to complete its design for a 1 megawatt “micro reactor,” bringing its total funding for the project to $225 million.
Radiant’s Kaleidos micro-reactor is intended to replace diesel generators at locations like military sites, remote villages, or even large data centers for three to five years, with rapid installation.
The startup is one of several companies across the U.S. seeking to prove that small, advanced nuclear reactors can be built more quickly and effectively than traditional large reactors — offering a solution to Big Tech and others looking to secure reliable power, and fast.
However, like most of those other firms, Radiant faces an uphill regulatory battle.
The California startup has yet to receive approval from federal regulators, who have only approved designs for two small modular reactors, both of which are set to be built by the same company, NuScale.
Still, given support from the Trump administration, tech industries, and the general public for building out nuclear energy in the U.S., companies like Radiant are riding the momentum that many nuclear advocates hope will quicken the regulatory process.
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Radiant has said the facility will be the first in the world to mass-produce nuclear reactors.
“We chose Oak Ridge, Tennessee, because of their strong workforce, the community’s rich nuclear heritage and the public’s second-to-none nuclear IQ,” Tori Shivanandan, Radiant COO, said. “Just as importantly, the state’s business-friendly environment gave us the immediate regulatory certainty we needed to move fast and be up and running to meet growing customer demand for our nuclear generators. We’re excited to start building in just a few months.”
