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U.S. Department of Energy Finds No Significant Impacts for DOME Microreactor Test Bed
June 30, 2025
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released a finding of no significant impact for the potential environmental impacts associated with the operation of the Demonstration of Microreactor Experiments (DOME) test bed facility to accommodate testing of advanced nuclear reactor designs at Idaho National Laboratory (INL).
The final environmental assessment was released on May 13, 2025, and details the review and analysis of alternatives DOE considered for DOME based on the National Environmental Policy Act. DOE’s analysis determined the operation of DOME will have no significant environmental or human health impacts and resulted in the proposed finding of no significant impact (FONSI). Today’s announcement follows the completion of a 30-day Tribal and public comment period on the proposed FONSI.
DOME will provide private industry with a safe, reliable, and affordable location to test their microreactor technologies to generate data needed to support reactor licensing and commercialization. DOE is currently reviewing the first call of applications for scheduling microreactor experiments at DOME and expects to receive its first reactor for fueling in 2026.
More information on DOME and DOE’s other test beds can be found at nric.inl.gov.