Molten Salt Reactor Funds

Kairos Power has secured $643 million in combined private and government funding to build its Hermes 2 demonstration reactor in Tennessee, including $368 million from investors such as Google Ventures and DCVC, $70 million from Samsung C&T, and $275 million in financing from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Hermes 2 is a 50-megawatt advanced reactor that uses molten salt as a coolant instead of water and is expected to start up in 2030. Most of the funding will be allocated toward the reactor buildout, with some earmarked for expanding manufacturing at a site in New Mexico.

Kairos Energy shows how pairing public and private capital can move advanced reactor designs from the approval phase to construction, giving utilities and large power users new carbon-free options.