US microreactor developer Last Energy and the Texas A&M University System have announced plans for a microreactor pilot project at Texas A&M-Rellis, an applied research and advanced technology campus.

The project will feature Last Energy’s PWR-5, a microreactor design physically identical to the company’s commercial product, the PWR-20, scaled to 5 MW of electrical output.

The PWR-20 is designed to be mass manufactured so production can be scaled to user demand. It is designed for flexible siting and “plug-and-play” installation.

Last Energy said the PWR-5 will demonstrate low-power criticality and the ability to generate electricity for commercial output.

Last Energy – which moved its corporate headquarters to Austin, Texas in May – has secured a lease agreement at Texas A&M-Rellis, procured a full-core load of fuel, signed an “other transaction agreement” (OTA)* with the US Department of Energy (DOE) and begun formal licensing submissions

“We’re partnering with Texas A&M to usher in the next atomic era,” said Bret Kugelmass, Founder and CEO of Last Energy. “With fuel in hand, an optimal site at Relli, and DOE authorisation underway, we have the ideal conditions to demonstrate a standardised, scalable microreactor product in the US.”

In February the Texas A&M University System selected four companies to explore developing advanced nuclear power reactors on the Rellis campus, about 15 km west of Texas in Brazos County.

Each of the four companies – Kairos Power, Natura Resources, Aalo Atomics and Terrestrial Energy – could potentially build at least one commercial nuclear power plant at Rellis.

The Texas A&M University System has a network of 12 universities across Texas and educates nearly 170,000 students each year.

In October 2024, Last Energy announced plans for a £300m (€359m, $391m) microreactor project at the site of the decommissioned Llynfi coal-fired plant in South Wales.

In July, Last Energy said it remains on track to obtain a site licence decision by December 2027 for the Wales project after completing a preliminary design review for its PWR-20 power plant design by UK nuclear regulators.

The company has also unveiled ambitious plans to build 30 microreactors in northwest Texas to serve data centre customers across the state.

* Flexible agreements that allow the DOE to fund research, development, and demonstration projects, particularly with non-traditional partners like startups and small businesses, without being bound by traditional federal acquisition regulations.