Engineering milestone evidences continued maturation of the KRONOS MMR™ Energy System, reducing technical risk while supporting advancement toward future first-of-a-kind deployment, component standardization, and commercialization.
New York, N.Y., and Ollioules, France, July 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) (“NANO Nuclear” or “the Company”), a leading advanced nuclear micro modular reactor and technology company focused on developing clean energy solutions, today announced its advancement of a strategic engineering collaboration with internationally recognized engineering and consulting firm Fortil, related to the design of the Fuel Handling & Storage System for the Company's proprietary KRONOS MMR™ Energy System.
The Fuel Handling & Storage System is a critical subsystem that is an essential part of the KRONOS MMR™ architecture, supporting the safe handling, storage, and management of nuclear fuel throughout reactor operations. Under the collaboration with NANO Nuclear’s engineering team, Fortil’s dedicated nuclear engineering team is responsible for the multidisciplinary engineering and design of the subsystem, leveraging expertise across mechanical engineering, systems engineering, nuclear safety, instrumentation and control, and radiation protection.
Fortil has extensive experience delivering multidisciplinary engineering services for the nuclear energy industry. The collaboration leverages Fortil's expertise in nuclear engineering, systems integration, and specialized fuel handling solutions to accelerate the development of a robust, integrated fuel handling system supporting the KRONOS MMR™ as it progresses toward commercialization and deployment.
The collaboration has now reached a notable engineering milestone with conceptual design activities near conclusion. This milestone establishes the technical basis for the Fuel Handling & Storage System by evaluating engineering solutions against program requirements, defining key subsystem interfaces, and producing the engineering documentation that will guide subsequent development activities. Collectively, this work reduces technical risk, supports future first-of-a-kind deployment, and establishes an engineering framework capable of supporting standardized future commercial deployments.
Figure 1 - NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. and Fortil Advance Engineering Collaboration for the KRONOS MMR™ Fuel Handling & Storage System
Building upon this milestone, NANO Nuclear and Fortil expect to commence preliminary design activities, where the validated engineering approach is further developed through increased analytical detail, subsystem integration, and engineering refinement.
This engineering milestone follows significant recent regulatory progress for the KRONOS MMR™. Earlier this year, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ("NRC") formally accepted the Construction Permit Application for deployment of the KRONOS MMR™ at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for review and subsequently initiated formal review activities, providing additional clarity regarding the anticipated licensing schedule. NANO Nuclear believes the current review schedule provides the opportunity to begin initial construction activities during the second half of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals and customary project requirements.
The Company also believes the KRONOS MMR™ remains the first commercially-ready microreactor program to reach this stage of the U.S. NRC licensing process, reflecting continued progress across both regulatory and engineering activities as the program advances toward commercialization.
James Walker, Chief Executive Officer of NANO Nuclear Energy, said: "The successful commercialization of advanced nuclear technology depends upon disciplined engineering execution alongside continued regulatory progress. Our collaboration with Fortil on the Fuel Handling & Storage System represents another important milestone in advancing the KRONOS MMR™ program and further strengthens the technical foundation supporting future deployment. As this critical subsystem progresses from conceptual design into preliminary design, we continue to mature the reactor architecture, systematically reduce technical risk and build the engineering basis necessary to support future licensing, construction and commercialization."
Jay Yu, Founder and Chairman of NANO Nuclear Energy, added: " NANO Nuclear's strategy remains centered on building KRONOS through disciplined engineering development, strategic partnerships and proactive regulatory engagement. Our continued collaboration with Fortil reflects this strategy by bringing together complementary expertise to advance a key reactor subsystem. We believe each engineering milestone further strengthens the commercial readiness of the KRONOS MMR™ while continuing to build the industrial ecosystem necessary to support first-of-a-kind deployment and subsequent commercial deployments."
Bosko Jovanovic, Head of Nuclear Development of Fortil, added: “Our collaboration with NANO Nuclear marks an important step forward and a meaningful consolidation of Fortil’s nuclear development. By bringing together our multidisciplinary engineering expertise and NANO Nuclear’s advanced reactor design, we are strengthening our position in the nuclear energy sector and building the long-term capabilities required to support ambitious, first-of-a-kind programs such as the KRONOS MMR™. We are proud to deepen this collaboration and to contribute to a technology that will play a key role in the future of clean energy.”
Jeremy La Sala, Nuclear Projects Manager of Fortil, added: “We are proud to continue advancing our collaboration with NANO Nuclear on the KRONOS MMR™. The Fuel Handling & Storage System is a critical and complex subsystem requiring close integration across multiple engineering disciplines, rigorous systems engineering and a strong focus on nuclear safety. Our team is committed to delivering robust engineering solutions that establish a solid technical foundation for future design activities, and we look forward to continuing our work with NANO Nuclear as the KRONOS program progresses toward deployment.”