Terrestrial Energy Executes DOE Agreement for Project TETRA Under Advanced Reactor Pilot Program
OTA agreement provides for construction and operation of Project TETRA, Terrestrial Energy's pilot reactor using Integral Molten Salt Reactor technology
Terrestrial Energy now positioned to move quickly from design to operation under DOE authorization, laying the groundwork for swift commercialization of IMSR plants
CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Terrestrial Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:IMSR) ("Terrestrial Energy" or "the Company"), a developer of small modular nuclear power plants using its Generation IV reactor technology, today announced that it has executed an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for Project TETRA, a groundbreaking initiative to construct and operate a pilot reactor which will support Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) plant development. This announcement marks an important milestone in Terrestrial Energy's engagement with the Advanced Reactor Pilot Program, established by Executive Order 14301, under which the Company is targeting IMSR plant deployment facilitated by the DOE's accelerated authorization of pilot TETRA reactor operation.
The execution of an OTA demonstrates the Company's structured program, which will support IMSR plant commercialization and its leading market position in the advanced reactor sector. The agreement establishes a direct, streamlined collaboration with the DOE to review and authorize the design and safe operation of the TETRA reactor, a molten salt-fueled, graphite-moderated reactor that uses standard assay, low-enriched UF₄-based fuel (SALEU) containing less than five percent U-235. This agreement enables Terrestrial Energy to move quickly from design to operation under DOE authorization. Executed under DOE's authority at 42 U.S.C. § 7256(g), the OTA enables the Company to operate outside traditional federal contracting constraints, providing a flexible and agile framework designed for swift advanced reactor innovation.
"This OTA is a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy to accelerate development, licensing, and operation of IMSR plants servicing critical energy needs," said Simon Irish, CEO of Terrestrial Energy. "The agreement sits on our development center-path, allowing the Company to expedite key elements of its program to prepare licensing applications for commercial plant operation. The pilot TETRA reactor project affirms our position as a leading advanced reactor innovator and will demonstrate our ability to deliver the innovations necessary for clean, firm and affordable energy in a competitive timeframe."
Terrestrial Energy's commercial IMSR plant is designed to produce 822 MWth (390 MWe) of flexible low-cost clean firm energy for electricity generation and industrial heat applications. Its high-temperature molten salt fuel design supports electricity generation at superior efficiency and direct thermal delivery for manufacturing, data center operations, and other industrial heat end users. The reactor's use of readily available SALEU fuel eliminates substantial obstacles from high assay low-enriched (HALEU) fuel dependency, strengthening supply security and enabling rapid scalability with existing U.S. manufacturing infrastructure. With IMSR technology, Terrestrial Energy is creating a short and practical path to low-cost clean firm nuclear energy at scale.
The Advanced Reactor Pilot Program, established under Executive Order 14301, enables the DOE to authorize privately built reactors outside its national laboratories. The program provides a streamlined pathway to regulatory authorization for operation, bridging the gap between pilot reactor operations for system testing, and licensing for commercial plant operation, advancing U.S. leadership in the advanced reactor sector. In September 2025, Terrestrial Energy was separately selected for the DOE Fuel Line Pilot Program, demonstrating the Company's broad engagement with DOE programs to expedite commercial operation of small and modular nuclear plants that use advanced reactor technologies.
About Terrestrial Energy
Terrestrial Energy is a developer of Generation IV nuclear plants that use its proprietary Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR). The IMSR captures the transformative operating benefits of molten salt reactor technology in a plant design that represents true innovation in capital efficiency, cost reduction, versatility and functionality of nuclear energy supply. IMSR plants are designed to be small and modular for distributed supply of low-cost, reliable, dispatchable, clean, high-temperature industrial heat and electricity, and to be customized for dual-use energy role relevant to many industrial applications, such as petrochemical and chemical synthesis, and data center operation. In so doing, IMSR plants extend the application of nuclear energy far beyond electric power markets. Their deployment will support the rapid global decarbonization of the primary energy system across a broad spectrum and increase its sustainability. Terrestrial Energy uses an innovative plant design together with proven and demonstrated molten salt reactor technology and readily-available and inexpensive standard-assay low-enriched uranium in its fuel for a nuclear plant with a unique set of operating characteristics and compelling transformative commercial potential. Terrestrial Energy is engaged with regulators, suppliers, industrial partners and energy end-users to build, license and commission the first IMSR plants in the early 2030s.
Forward-Looking Statements
The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intends," "may," "might," "plan," "possible," "potential," "predict," "project," "should," "would" and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking.
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on the Company. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting the Company will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: (1) risks related to the development, manufacturing and construction of IMSR Plants and key components, including potential delays, cost overruns and contractor performance issues; (2) the Company's ability to obtain applicable regulatory approvals and licenses on a timely basis or at all; (3) the ability of management to manage growth properly; (4) the possibility that the Company may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors, including from alternative energy technologies, energy price volatility, and competition from other advanced reactor developers; (5) potential supply chain constraints and cost inflation for specialized nuclear-grade materials and components; (6) any failure to comply with the laws and regulations governing the use, transportation, and disposal of toxic, hazardous and/or radioactive materials; (7) changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial and political conditions, and in applicable laws and regulations, including tariffs; (8) the ability to raise additional funding in the future; (9) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the Company; and (10) other risk factors described herein as well as the risk factors and uncertainties described in the documents filed by the Company from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").
The foregoing list of risk factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing risk factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the documents filed by the Company from time to time with the SEC. In addition, there may be additional risks that the Company presently knows, or that it currently believes are immaterial, that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Nothing in this communication should be regarded as a representation or warranty, either express or implied, by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth herein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made.
In addition, the information contained in this press release is provided as of the date hereof and may change, and the Company and its representatives and affiliates specifically disclaim any obligation to, and do not intend to, update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, inaccuracies, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Information contained on our website is not a part of or incorporated into this press release.
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