FANCO Selected for Two U.S. Department of Energy Nuclear Science User Facilities Awards

FANCO receives two competitive DOE-NE research awards

Research access strengthens FANCO’s advanced-materials capabilities
and supports EAGL-1’s commercialization path

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 1st American Nuclear Co. (“FANCO”), an advanced nuclear technology company developing the EAGL-1 small modular reactor, today announced that two research proposals submitted by FANCO scientists have been selected for award through the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy's Nuclear Science User Facilities (“NSUF”) program.

FANCO received two awards in the FY2026 RTE selection cycle, positioning FANCO alongside prominent nuclear technology companies advancing materials and fuels for next-generation reactors.

Selections Recognize FANCO’s Technical Excellence

The proposals were selected under NSUF's fiscal year 2026 Rapid Turnaround Experiment (“RTE”) program following review for feasibility, technical merit and programmatic relevance. RTE awards provide nuclear energy researchers with access to specialized irradiation testing, post-irradiation examination capabilities and technical expertise at no cost to the researchers.

FANCO's selected projects are:

Effect of Extrusion Temperature on Mechanical Property Evolution for FeCrAl-ODS Alloys Following Neutron Irradiation at Liquid Metal Fast Reactor Operating Temperatures, led by Andrew Caldwell, Ph.D., FANCO materials scientist. The project will be supported by the Low Activation Materials Development and Analysis Laboratory at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Irradiation Temperature-Dependence of the Mechanical Properties of Low-dpa MA956 From Shear-Punch and Microhardness Testing, led by Philip Jensen, FANCO EVP of nuclear fuels. The project will be supported by the Radiochemical Processing Laboratory at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

“Having two proposals selected in the same competitive cycle is significant recognition of the caliber of FANCO’s technical team,” commented Mike Reinboth, Chief Executive Officer of FANCO. “These projects were evaluated for feasibility, technical merit and programmatic relevance alongside proposals from leading national laboratories, universities and established nuclear companies. FANCO earned two selections because our engineers are pursuing consequential research and producing work that meets a demanding technical standard.”

Reinboth continued: “FANCO’s EAGL-1 is differentiated by more than its reactor architecture. We are developing a unique reactor and fuel-cycle strategy as one integrated system around a conventional deployment strategy for rapid deployment. That requires exceptional multidisciplinary expertise and rigorous validation at every stage. These awards give our scientists access to world-class capabilities at Oak Ridge and Pacific Northwest national laboratories, strengthen the technical foundation supporting our work and demonstrate that FANCO has assembled a team capable of advancing one of the nuclear industry’s most practical and consequential technologies.”

Advancing Materials for Next-Generation Reactors

FANCO’s projects will examine how neutron irradiation and temperature affect advanced alloys being evaluated for demanding reactor environments, generating insights relevant to reactor reliability, operating life and commercial viability.

Strengthening EAGL-1’s Commercialization Path

For FANCO, this research complements the development of EAGL-1, its 240-megawatt-electric, lead-bismuth-cooled fast reactor designed around factory fabrication, passive safety, long fuel cycles and rapid deployment using conventional systems. Access to specialized capabilities at Oak Ridge and Pacific Northwest national laboratories will expand the technical data available to FANCO’s engineers, help reduce development uncertainty and inform future materials and engineering decisions.

By integrating reactor architecture with materials, fuels and fuel-cycle expertise, FANCO is building a more complete and disciplined path toward licensing, commercialization and deployment. Each project is expected to complete its defined scope within nine months, providing timely research that can support FANCO’s broader technology-development program.

ABOUT FANCO
1st American Nuclear Co. (“FANCO”) is an advanced nuclear technology company developing EAGL-1, a 240-megawatt-electric, lead-bismuth-cooled fast-spectrum small modular reactor designed for factory fabrication and scalable, multi-unit deployment. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, FANCO brings together expertise in advanced reactor design, engineering, operations, nuclear materials, fuel-cycle development and licensing. To learn more, visit www.fanuclear.com.

CONTACT
Mike Reinboth, CEO
media@fanuclear.com

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