The National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) is a Department of Energy initiative established at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to provide the physical infrastructure, testing capabilities, and regulatory support needed to bring advanced nuclear reactor concepts from design to demonstration. Created by the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act of 2017 and operationalized in subsequent years, NRIC addresses a critical gap in the U.S. nuclear innovation ecosystem: the absence of accessible test facilities and demonstration sites where reactor developers can validate their technologies at meaningful scale before committing to full commercial deployment. NRIC provides site infrastructure, environmental compliance support, and coordination with the NRC to streamline the path from laboratory concept to operating demonstration.
NRIC's most prominent facility is the DOME (Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments) test bed at INL's Contained Test Facility, purpose-built for testing microreactor prototypes in a controlled environment with established safety and environmental approvals. Radiant Industries is targeting first criticality of its Kaleidos microreactor at the DOME facility on July 4, 2026, which would represent one of the most significant milestones in the advanced reactor sector. Westinghouse is planning to test a 1/5-scale eVinci heat pipe reactor prototype at DOME as early as 2026. These demonstrations are essential for validating reactor physics models, testing manufacturing processes, and building the operating experience that regulatory bodies and investors require before full-scale commercial commitment.
Beyond DOME, NRIC supports a broader portfolio of demonstration activities at INL. Oklo broke ground for its Aurora sodium-cooled fast reactor at INL in September 2025, and the DOE approved Oklo's fuel fabrication facility NSDA in November 2025. The INL campus also hosts the Advanced Test Reactor where Lightbridge Corporation began irradiation testing of its advanced uranium-zirconium alloy fuel in November 2025. NRIC's role extends to the Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, which Last Energy joined in August 2025 via an Other Transaction Authority agreement. By concentrating testing infrastructure, regulatory expertise, and site authorization at a single national laboratory, NRIC reduces the time and cost for each reactor developer compared to independently developing greenfield demonstration sites.