Kairos Power has formed a training and manufacturing partnership in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as construction advances on its high-temperature, fluoride salt cooled reactor facilities. The company signed a memorandum of understanding with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation, Barnard Construction, Roane State Community College, Chattanooga State Community College, and Oak Ridge Schools to create the Nuclear Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Precast, known as NuCAMP.
The Kairos Reactor Demonstration Campus will host the center and supply space for precast concrete production, assembly, welding, and additive manufacturing. The partners agreed to a 12-month exploratory phase to determine which programs and career pathways to build.
Cofounder and chief technology officer Ed Blandford said delivering affordable advanced reactors at scale requires innovative manufacturing processes, the code basis to qualify them, and skilled workers able to apply them. Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Stephen Streiffer said the lab's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility and broader research capability will help mature advanced construction methods for the industry.
Research priorities under discussion include precast concrete construction, large format additive manufacturing, wire arc additive manufacturing, and electron beam welding. Kairos has already used several of these methods on its Hermes test reactors, including precast shielding structures, 3D printed composite structures, and electron beam welding on its Engineering Test Unit 3 reactor vessel.
The University of Tennessee will evaluate two possible master's degree programs covering factory-based nuclear construction and precast concrete construction. The community colleges will study specialized training in nuclear pipe welding, precast production, and skid manufacturing, while Oak Ridge Schools examines expanded trades pathways at middle and high school levels.
Source: ANS Nuclear Newswire - https://www.ans.org/news/2026-08-20/article-8310/kairos-power-others-launch-nucamp-to-develop-nuclear-workforce/