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Unit 1 of Bangladesh's Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Achieves First Criticality, Realizing First Nuclear Fission Chain Reaction

Unit 1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Bangladesh's first nuclear power plant, officially initiated its first nuclear fission reaction on the afternoon of October 11, marking a breakthrough milestone for the country's first major nuclear energy project. Md Anwar Hossain, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology of Bangladesh, confirmed to the media that, after obtaining formal approval from the nuclear safety regulatory authority, the unit successfully initiated a self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction at approximately 3:34 p.m. that day. Hossain stated that the on-site commissioning team conducted the fission reaction startup operation at Unit 1 for the first time that day, and the entire startup process proceeded very smoothly...

2026-10-12

Oklo's Groves Isotope Test Reactor Achieves First Criticality, Fifth Reactor in U.S. Department of Energy Test Reactor Program Successfully Started

The Groves Isotope Test Reactor under Oklo, an advanced nuclear fission company in the United States, has officially achieved first criticality. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) confirmed that the reactor successfully reached criticality at 9:19 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday at the Groves site in Lockhart, Texas, becoming the fifth advanced test reactor to achieve criticality under the DOE's dedicated authorization and regulatory pathway. The Groves Isotope Test Reactor has a thermal power of 15 megawatts (MWt) and adopts an atmospheric-pressure water-cooled pool-type reactor design. It is led by Oklo Isotopes, a subsidiary of Oklo focused on medical and industrial isotope production...

2026-10-11

Unit 4 of Slovakia's Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant Reaches First Criticality

Slovenské Elektrárne stated that Unit 4 of the Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant reached first reactor criticality at 22:10 local time on August 6, and achieved minimum controllable power at 22:31. This is a key milestone in the pre-commissioning work of the unit, indicating that the reactor is ready for subsequent testing. First criticality refers to the first time the nuclear fuel in the core achieves a self-sustaining fission chain reaction. Slovenské Elektrárne stated that first criticality and reaching minimum controllable power are important steps in the commissioning process of a nuclear power plant, used to confirm the unit's readiness to enter the next phase of testing...

2026-08-08

Oklo's Groves Isotope Test Reactor Achieves First Criticality

Oklo, a U.S. advanced nuclear technology company, announced on August 6 that its Groves Isotope Test Reactor has achieved a controlled self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction at low power, reaching first criticality. This milestone comes less than a year after the project broke ground. Groves Isotope Test Reactor facility (Image: Groves) The Groves low-power test reactor, located in Lockhart, Texas, is the first reactor to achieve criticality on private land under the U.S. Department of Energy's Reactor Pilot Program. According to Oklo, the facility was built from undeveloped land, completing civil excavation, engineering construction, component fabrication or procurement, fuel configuration, and...

2026-08-07