The Odin microreactor is described as “a low-pressure, molten-salt-cooled, solid-fuel fission reactor integrated with power conversion and heat rejection systems, enabling substantial and compact, standalone electricity supply without external connections”.
Cambridge Atomworks says its vision is to have an operational prototype by 2030 and by the mid-2030s “become a trusted global supplier of clean, sustainable energy to off-grid customers”. The International Atomic Energy Agency defines microreactors as being typically up to 10 MWe capacity.
Under the MoU, Mott MacDonald will provide technical support and advice in nuclear engineering, safety and licensing, project delivery, systems integration and digital engineering and visualisation.
Ian Farnan, CEO of Cambridge Atomworks, said: “The signing of this MoU with a top British engineering consultancy will allow us to accelerate the development of our British-designed Odin nuclear microreactor. Mott MacDonald’s global experience and technical excellence in delivering nuclear projects will be invaluable to us as we plan the deployment of Odin as an off-grid generator in diverse remote locations.”
Ian Baird, Nuclear General Manager at Mott MacDonald, said: “The combination of its innovative reactor IP with our global engineering expertise, nuclear innovation and technical leadership in the sector will help advance the next generation of low carbon nuclear solutions.”
Cambridge Atomworks was established in 2023, developing the Odin microreactor for the US firm NANO Nuclear on an outsourced consulting basis. Last year it bought back the intellectual property, with a letter of intent signed last September.
The company says the Odin microreactor is designed “with air as the ultimate heat sink and to be walk-away safe in any deployment scenario ie it does not need to be close to a water source. The reactor can be cooled via natural circulation both by the molten salt and the reactor auxiliary air cooling system”.
