Trump-backed DOME facility clears path for microreactor testing

The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has launched the world’s first nuclear microreactor test bed, known as the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME), aimed at accelerating the commercialization of advanced portable nuclear reactors. Backed by President Trump’s administration, which seeks to expand U.S. nuclear capabilities and global leadership, the DOME facility will enable private companies to conduct fueled reactor experiments as early as spring 2026. The Department of Energy (DOE) has conditionally selected Westinghouse and Radiant to test their innovative microreactor designs at DOME, leveraging streamlined regulatory processes introduced through recent NEPA reforms and an executive order to reduce bureaucratic delays. DOME repurposes the historic EBR-II dome at INL and benefits from priority status under the Defense Production Act, allowing experiments generating up to 20 megawatts of thermal energy. Westinghouse will test its eVinci Nuclear Test Reactor, a compact, transportable unit producing 5 meg