Deployable Energy Selected for Full-Power Demonstration at Idaho National Laboratory and Maritime Demonstration with Hornbeck Offshore

New demonstrations build on Deployable Energy's work with Idaho National Laboratory through the National Reactor Innovation Center's Nuclear Energy Launch Pad program while advancing pathways for commercial deployment and real-world validation of advanced energy systems

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Deployable Energy today announced its selection by the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) for two strategic upcoming demonstrations: a Nuclear Energy Launch Pad Idaho National Laboratory (INL) full-power demonstration and a Nuclear Energy Launch Pad USA maritime demonstration with Hornbeck Offshore.

The Launch Pad is managed by NRIC, which was established in 2019 to work with industry and the National Laboratories to bridge the gap between concept, demonstration and commercialization of advanced nuclear technology. 

The demonstrations represent the next phase of Deployable Energy's work to evaluate advanced, deployable energy systems in operationally relevant environments. They build on the company's ongoing collaboration with INL, NRIC and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Idaho Operations Office (DOE-ID) to generate technical and operational data regarding future testing, validation, and regulatory engagement for advanced nuclear energy technologies.

"This is an important progression in demonstrating how our Unity Nuclear Battery can perform at full power and in demanding real-world environments," said Bobby Gallagher, Co-Founder and CEO of Deployable Energy. "Our continued work with INL and DOE-ID has created a pathway to accelerate systematically from concept to criticality and from criticality to full-power demonstrations. Expanding that work into the maritime environment with Hornbeck Offshore gives us an opportunity to evaluate the technology against a new and highly relevant set of operational requirements."

Advancing to Full-Power Demonstration at INL

The planned demonstration at Idaho National Laboratory will enable Deployable Energy's reactor to be operated at full power with the support of the operational expertise at the laboratory. The effort will build on previous work with INL through NRIC's Launch Pad, providing an opportunity to evaluate system performance, integration, controls, safety, and operational procedures at increased scale.

The demonstration is intended to generate the technical and operational data needed to support U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensing and inform future deployments to reduce the time between technology development and field use.

"Deployable Energy has set the benchmark for speed to criticality, moving from initial discussions to reaching criticality in just 155 days," said John Wagner, Director of Idaho National Laboratory. "With their strong collaborative spirit and impressive ability to execute, we're excited to continue supporting Deployable Energy as they advance toward commercialization."

INL's capabilities and infrastructure make it an important environment for validating energy technologies that must operate reliably under demanding conditions. The upcoming work will continue Deployable Energy's focus on demonstrating systems as integrated operational assets rather than solely as individual technologies.

Taking Deployable Energy to the Maritime Environment

In parallel, Deployable Energy will conduct a maritime demonstration with Hornbeck Offshore to evaluate the technology in an offshore operational environment.

Maritime operations present a distinct set of requirements for microreactors, including operational performance, space and weight constraints, logistics, system integration, environmental conditions, safety, and the need for reliable power far from conventional infrastructure.

Working with Hornbeck Offshore, a proven leader in the development and adoption of offshore maritime technology, will provide Deployable Energy with an opportunity to demonstrate how its technology can be integrated into maritime operations and to gather lessons that can inform future commercial, government, defense, emergency-response, and remote-energy applications.

"Nuclear-powered maritime operations are exactly the kind of environment where Deployable Energy and Hornbeck Offshore have the potential to create significant value for coastal communities," said Todd M. Hornbeck, Chairman, President and CEO of Hornbeck Offshore. "This maritime demonstration will allow us to test not only power generation, but also the deployment model, from transportation and integration to operations."

Building a Path from Innovation to Deployment

Together, the INL and Hornbeck Offshore demonstrations reflect a broader strategy to move advanced energy technologies out of traditional development cycles and into increasingly realistic operating environments.

Deployable Energy will continue working with partners at INL, and DOE to conduct testing under demonstration pathways that support the licensing cases for its commercial applications. Deployable Energy will invite the NRC to observe the process to facilitate a crosswalk to full commercial operations under NRC licensing. These mechanisms can help bridge the gap between technology readiness and operational adoption by enabling testing at meaningful scale, bringing together government and commercial partners, and generating the performance data required for future deployments.

The two demonstrations also illustrate the flexibility at the core of Deployable Energy's approach: developing energy systems that can be transported, installed, integrated, operated, and redeployed where reliable power is needed.

"Our objective is bigger than a single demonstration," said Sanjay Mukhi, Chief Commercial Officer with Deployable Energy. "We are leveraging the entire ecosystem developed by INL to prove out our commercial offerings through a suite of rigorous tests that showcase the Unity Nuclear Battery under real operating conditions, which creates the confidence needed for broader deployment. The Nuclear Energy Launch Pad program enables us to collaborate with outstanding companies like Hornbeck Offshore to demonstrate a commercial nuclear pathway that hasn't been done in the US since the NS Savannah in the late 1950s."

Additional information on demonstration timing, technical objectives, and operational milestones will be announced as the programs progress.

About Deployable Energy

Mass-manufactured nuclear from the energy capital of the world.

Deployable Energy mass manufactures microreactors designed for real-world operations, with the simple idea of making nuclear energy a product not a project. Our systems are engineered for rapid deployment, simple operation, and reliable power where traditional infrastructure can't reach. Deployable Energy is the only commercial microreactor developer that has reached criticality and has an Approval in Principle (AIP) with a maritime classification society.

The company's vision is powering the re-industrialization of America, on land, at sea and beyond.

Learn more at: www.Deployable.Energy

About Idaho National Laboratory
Battelle Energy Alliance manages INL for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy. INL is the nation's center for nuclear energy research and development, and also performs research in each of DOE's strategic goal areas: energy, national security, science and the environment. For more information, visit www.inl.gov. Follow us on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.

SOURCE Deployable Energy