NANO Nuclear Energy (NASDAQ: NNE) has signed a three-year Engineering Services Master Agreement with the US subsidiary of IMPSA, an Argentine engineering and heavy manufacturing company. The agreement, announced on October 21, covers the design, design for manufacturing and potential future fabrication of critical components for the KRONOS MMR microreactor.
The deal creates a contractual framework within which NANO can draw on IMPSA’s expertise in nuclear pressure vessels, ASME Section III manufacturing, welding, non-destructive examination, quality assurance and heavy component fabrication. The reactor pressure vessel is the first component IMPSA will evaluate. The parties have identified other possible areas of collaboration: reactor cavity cooling systems, spent fuel storage, and additional reactor and transport components.
The work begins with a dedicated design review and manufacturing feasibility study. The initial program lasts about six months and is backed by an advance payment. IMPSA will carry out an independent review of the KRONOS MMR components. The goal is to bring fabrication expertise into the design process from the earliest stages, so that manufacturing constraints, inspection limits, accessibility issues and supply risks can be identified early. If NANO requests it, the work may extend to detailed drawings, code-compliant calculations and 3D models.
The KRONOS MMR is a stationary, high-temperature, gas-cooled reactor. The project is in pre-application engagement with the US nuclear regulator ahead of a construction permit application. Together with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, NANO plans to build and commission a research and test reactor based on this design. The company’s portfolio also includes the ZEUS and LOKI transportable microreactors, designed for remote sites, defense and industrial use.
IMPSA has more than forty years of history in the Argentine nuclear industry and takes part in the country’s most significant projects. For NANO, which is not a component manufacturer, having a fabricator with this track record alongside it helps verify early on whether the design can actually be built. Markets responded: NNE shares rose following the announcement.
The agreement does not yet commit the parties to production. Component fabrication, regional projects and other commercial activities will depend on the results of the study, regulatory requirements, and subsequent work orders or definitive agreements. If the review is successful, IMPSA could become the supplier of the pressure vessel for the first KRONOS MMR, with Argentina as a possible industrial base for NANO’s microreactors.
