'Transformative' research reactor mooted for Texas A&M

The project would see ZettaJoule build its ZJ0 reactor adjacent to the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES) Nuclear Engineering & Science Center in College Station, Texas. The new reactor facility would be owned by TEES, a state agency which is part of the Texas A&M University System.

ZettaJoule, established in 2023, is offering high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology it says is based on decades of safe proven operations at Japan’s High Temperature Engineering Test Reactor (HTTR), a graphite-moderated and helium-cooled reactor that started up in 1998 at the Oarai Nuclear Hydrogen and Heat Application Research Centre near Tokyo.

The company's 30 MW (thermal) ZJ advanced small modular reactor is designed to operate at temperatures up to 950 degrees Celsius. With temperatures high enough for synthetic fuels, hydrogen, steelmaking, chemicals, desalination, and data centres, the company says the ZJ0 platform could unlock entirely new applied research pathways for industry, and "has the potential to catalyse up to USD1 billion in research collaborations, industrial partnerships, and federal funding over the next decade, positioning Texas A&M Engineering as the national hub for high-temperature gas reactor innovation".

"This agreement is a pivotal milestone toward creating a unique platform for high-temperature process heat research in the US," ZettaJoule co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer Jeff Harper said. "We're excited to collaborate with TEES and the Texas A&M University System to explore how our reactor can deliver breakthrough energy solutions for academia, industry, and government agencies."

Texas A&M is already home to two operating research reactors: AGN-201M, a low-powered teaching reactor, and a TRIGA pool-type reactor. The addition of the ZJ0 would make Texas A&M the only university in the USA with more than two nuclear research reactors on campus.

"Texas has always powered this country, and the Texas A&M University System is helping power what comes next," Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar said. "We're advancing research, training the workforce, and building partnerships that keep safety and transparency first. As AI and advanced manufacturing place new demands on the grid, our focus is clear - strengthen reliability, secure energy independence and create opportunity for Texans and the nation."

In addition to Harper, who has previously served in senior development positions at X-energy and Westinghouse, ZettaJoule's co-founders are President and CEO Mitsuo Shimofuji, who has previously held leadership positions at Sumitomo Corporation; Rumina Velshi, former president and CEO of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission; and Kazuhiko Kunitomi, former Deputy Director General at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency who also spent seven years as project leader at the HTTR.