NEWS: Another SMR has gone critical ahead of President Trump’s July 4 deadline.

On Thursday, Valar Atomics’s Ward250 became the second advanced nuclear reactor in the DOE’s pilot program to reach criticality (exactly two weeks after Antares Nuclear’s Mark-0 reactor hit that milestone). Plus, it’s the first DOE-authorized reactor built outside of a national lab. The company’s next goal? Churn out power in the reactor…before July 4. 

Speaking of: Elementl Power has signed an agreement with GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy to build a 1.5-GW SMR plant in Ohio. Elementl has filed a request to connect to PJM for the plant’s first 600MW of output. (PJM is expected to make a decision later this year.)