The groundbreaking ceremony for Kairos Power’s Hermes 2 Demonstration Plant took place this past Friday at the former K-25 Site in West Oak Ridge, now part of the Heritage Center Industrial Park in Roane County, Tennessee. Local, state, and federal officials gathered for the event, marking a significant milestone as Hermes 2 becomes the first power-producing Generation IV reactor to receive a U.S. construction permit.

Once completed, the plant is expected to generate up to 50 megawatts of electricity for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) power system. This power will help supply the electricity needed for Google’s data centers in Tennessee and Alabama. The Hermes reactor design utilizes molten fluoride salt coolant combined with a specialty fuel to produce power.

According to TVA, one reactor at the Hermes 2 site is projected to begin operating in 2030, with additional capacity expected to come online by 2035. TVA is the first U.S. utility to sign an agreement to purchase electricity from a Generation IV reactor. The Hermes 2 plant is located next to the Hermes 1 Low-Power Demonstration Reactor, which is designed to produce heat but not electricity and is scheduled to begin operations in 2028.