Valar, Antares and Deployable Meet July 4 Nuclear Goal as Valar Generates 100 Kilowatts
Updated
Updated · Forbes · Jul 2
Valar, Antares and Deployable Meet July 4 Nuclear Goal as Valar Generates 100 Kilowatts
3 articles · Updated · Forbes · Jul 2
Summary
Three DOE-backed startups met President Donald Trump’s July 4 reactor target by reaching criticality, with Deployable Energy completing the third milestone on June 30 and Valar adding a 100-kilowatt power-generation test on July 1.
Valar had already achieved criticality twice and on June 23 ramped its Ward250 reactor to full power, while Antares’ Mark-0 became the first privately funded non-light-water reactor in four decades to reach criticality at Idaho National Laboratory.
Aalo Atomics, which broke ground in August 2025 aiming to hit criticality by July 4, said July 2 that its Idaho reactor was not yet critical but was "super close" as fuel loading and control-rod tests continued.
The milestone advances a DOE pilot program meant to jumpstart at least three reactor startups, but most designs still must prove sustained full-power operation and secure supplies of TRISO fuel before commercial deployment.
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With demonstration reactors now online, what is the true timeline for them to power our data centers and cities?
Can America rebuild its entire nuclear supply chain fast enough to meet its ambitious 2050 energy goals?
Quadrupling U.S. Nuclear Capacity by 2050: Breakthroughs, Policy, and the Race for Advanced Reactor Deployment
Overview
In June 2026, the U.S. advanced nuclear sector reached a major milestone as Antares Nuclear’s Mark-0 microreactor and Valar Atomics’ Ward 250 both achieved criticality, marking rapid progress in next-generation reactor development. These successes were made possible by decades of Department of Energy investment in advanced fuel technology and strong support from Idaho National Laboratory. Valar Atomics’ achievement was further enabled by executive orders that provided a clear mandate and streamlined federal review, including oversight by DOE officials and a joint test group. Together, these breakthroughs highlight the power of coordinated policy, technical innovation, and public-private collaboration in advancing clean energy.