First American Nuclear Submits Regulatory Engagement Plan for Fast-Spectrum Small Modular Reactor (SMR)

Generation IV EAGL-1 Reactor Design is Licensable Under Existing Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Regulations and Proprietary Bridge Power™ Solution Can Deliver Immediate Power to Customers

INDIANAPOLIS, April 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- First American Nuclear (FANCO), a nuclear power company and developer of fast-spectrum small modular reactors (SMRs) designed to deliver the most cost-effective utility-scale power in the world, today announced the submission of its regulatory engagement plan for its EAGL-1 small modular reactor (SMR) to the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The filing formally opens the company's pre-application engagement with the NRC and marks a significant milestone on the path toward a construction permit.

EAGL-1 is designed from the ground up to be licensable under the NRC's existing regulatory framework, setting it apart from many other advanced reactor designs. While EAGL-1 is being licensed, FANCO customers get immediate gas-fueled power to bridge the gap to full nuclear energy delivery, with minimal equipment and modification costs.

"FANCO designed EAGL-1 to be licensed under the NRC standards that have kept us safe for decades," said Mike Reinboth, CEO of FANCO. "This country can't afford to wait; we need a credible pathway to nuclear now and that is FANCO's mission."

EAGL-1 is a liquid metal fast reactor (LMFR), and the only U.S.-based nuclear reactor design cooled using a metal alloy called lead-bismuth. It is designed to generate 240 megawatts of electricity (MWe), enough to power 1.5 million homes from the typical six-reactor cluster, with a footprint a fraction the size of traditional nuclear power plants delivering similar MWe. Lead-bismuth technology solves many of the most arduous challenges to deliver safe, utility-scale nuclear energy at an affordable price.

Reduced Regulatory Risk

A formal review conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) under a Department of Energy GAIN (Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear) (PNNL-28013) program award concluded that the EAGL-1 design, subject to further design development and analysis, would be licensable under existing NRC criteria, with no new rules, and no novel regulatory frameworks. Additionally, FANCO is building a lead-bismuth test loop that will provide the NRC with unequivocal, real-world performance data, rather than relying solely on models and historical analysis.

Proven Physics, Modern Engineering

Lead-bismuth cooling technology has greater thermal performance advantages than liquid sodium, but none of sodium's chemical reactivity with air or water. This property eliminates the need for an intermediate heat-transfer loop, reducing capital cost while enhancing safety. The non-pressurized, four-loop primary system is enclosed in a guard vessel with all pipe penetrations above the fuel assemblies, making core-uncovering pipe failures physically impossible. Decay heat removal is intended to be fully passive, enabling a walk-away-safe profile with no operator action required. EAGL-1 will initially operate on high assay low enriched uranium (HALEU) dioxide, a well-understood fuel form which eliminates the risks of a novel fuel design.

The FANCO team chose lead-bismuth based on decades of direct operational and engineering experience from nearly every major fast-reactor program in the Western Hemisphere, including the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF), Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR-II), Versatile Test Reactor (VTR), Fuels and Materials Examination Facility (FMEF), and the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP).

Factory-Built, Commercially Scaled

The EAGL-1 nuclear steam supply system is sized for factory fabrication, full factory assembly and testing, and shipment to site as tested subassemblies, a model that compresses construction schedules and improves quality control. The balance of plant (BOP) will use commercially available, catalog-standard components, supporting domestic supply chain development and cost certainty. FANCO's business model targets multi-unit cluster deployments of four to six units, where economies of scale are most pronounced.

Early Revenue Through Bridge Power™

The FANCO design separates EAGL-1 and its core safety systems from the balance of plant (BOP) power conversion block, which includes the turbine, generator, condenser, and condensate systems. Additionally, the FANCO BOP will comprise entirely commercial off-the-shelf systems, which can be sourced from established industrial suppliers.

This proprietary system, called Bridge Power™, will let FANCO construct and commission the BOP using conventional commercial package boilers while EAGL-1 is under NRC review. The power conversion structure will begin generating gas power in the short-term, then seamlessly transitions to nuclear when licensing is complete. Bridge Power is designed to meet customers' immediate energy needs, provide an early revenue stream that eases project financing, and reduce supply chain risk by front-loading procurement of equipment that will be used by both gas and nuclear systems.

Partnerships Accelerating Development

FANCO has engaged AtkinsRéalis as primary architect-engineer, partnered with Purdue University for testing support, and is working with the State of Indiana on manufacturing, siting, and workforce development. FANCO is a member of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), participates in the DOE Defense Protection Act Fuels Consortium and Fast Reactor Working Group. The reactor design was developed with GAIN vouchers and a DOE Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program development grant.

Discipline, Speed and Transparency

The FANCO regulatory engagement plan outlines a disciplined schedule of white paper and topical report submittals beginning later this year, covering principal design criteria, prototype licensing strategy, functional containment, lead-bismuth thermal hydraulics, fuel qualification, and probabilistic risk assessment, among others.

FANCO plans monthly calls with NRC project managers, biweekly technical meetings aligned to white paper review schedules, and the establishment of an electronic reading room to provide the NRC with secure access to supporting calculation packages, design specifications, and test data without burdening the public docket. 

About First American Nuclear
First American Nuclear (FANCO) aims to be the first customer-centric nuclear energy company, focused on delivering clean, reliable, utility-scale power at a cost competitive with other existing sources. Because customers need power now, FANCO offers a Bridge Power™ solution that bridges the gap to full nuclear energy delivery with minimal cost. The company comprises the country's top nuclear engineers and operators developing a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) unlike anything commercially available. The EAGL-1 fast reactor is the only U.S. reactor cooled by lead-bismuth, a liquid metal alloy whose chemical properties enable its safe, simple, and 100% factory fabricable design. EAGL-1 can operate in a closed-fuel cycle in which used fuel is continuously reprocessed and reused, eliminating 95% of long-lasting nuclear waste.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE First American Nuclear Co.