Frequently Asked Questions

TRISO (Tri-Structural Isotropic) fuel provides numerous safety and environmental benefits and is baselined in all power supplies supported by TriCore Energy. The United States has performed extensive development and testing of TRISO particles, demonstrating very efficient fuel utilization and very high temperature capability. At end of life, TRISO particles are well-suited for long-term storage of the fuel they contain. TRISO-fueled reactors are designed so that if temperature rises, natural feedback reduces power. Even in extreme scenarios (loss of coolant and failure of active controls), the system shuts down passively and removes decay heat to surrounding structures, with no release of radioactive byproducts in representative tests. 

TRISO particles operate for several years before enough uranium is consumed to make them unusable. At that point, the fuel element is removed and either stored on site or transported to a central storage location. For microreactors the total volume of used fuel is relatively small—even over multiple decades—and TRISO particles are well suited to contain the used fuel for as long as needed. No additional processing is required prior to long-term storage. The best approach to long-term storage will be application- and country-dependent. 

 Yes. TRISO-fueled high-temperature reactors are operating today, and earlier generations ran for decades.   

· HTR-PM (China): Two TRISO-fueled pebble-bed reactor modules feeding a ~210 MWe turbine; in commercial operation since 2023.

· HTR-10 (China): 10 MWt TRISO-fueled pebble-bed research reactor at Tsinghua University; operational since the early 2000s.

· HTTR (Japan): 30 MWt prismatic research reactor using TRISO fuel; restarted in 2021 for high-temperature R&D.

Historical TRISO/precursor coated-particle fueled reactors:

· AVR (Germany, 1967–1988), THTR-300 (Germany, 1985–1989), Dragon (UK, 1965–1976), Fort St. Vrain (USA, 1979–1989), and Peach Bottom-1 (USA, 1967–1974).

TriCore provides the operating model, training, and 24/7 remote monitoring. Day-to-day operations are performed by licensed, locally trained staff under our program and in accordance with national regulations—so the customer can focus on their core business.

Plan on roughly 40 years of service life, although current reactor operating experience indicates significant life extensions may be possible. Some microreactor designs use continuous online refueling, while others have brief planned outages every few years for inspections and refueling.

For first-of-a-kind deployments at remote mines and other critical industrial sites, our indicative firm, 24/7 PPA target is typically $120–$180/MWh, depending on site and financing. That’s designed to beat the real alternatives: diesel-backed microgrids and complex solar-plus-storage stacks. Delivered electricity from diesel in remote contexts commonly ranges from $190 to $1,000/MWh once fuel logistics are included—one reason many operators want to move off diesel. The US “Janus” program also plans to have microreactors operational at US Army bases by September 30, 2028. The widespread use of US microreactors that are primarily “factory built” will lead to further cost reductions.

Utility-scale solar and wind are inexpensive when available, but output is variable. Real sites see solar production dip with cloud cover and persistent losses from dust and soiling; wind can experience multi-day regional lulls. Making variable renewables behave like a 24/7 plant requires substantial storage, backup, or overbuild, which adds cost—especially beyond a few hours of coverage. A microreactor provides firm, zero-carbon power around the clock on a small footprint and can be paired with solar and wind if desired. 

When you include what it actually takes to keep power uninterrupted—batteries sized for nights and bad-weather stretches, extra panels/turbines, and usually a backup generator—the total system cost for solar-plus-storage often rises quickly. Microreactors deliver continuous, weather-independent power with minimal land, no daily fuel trucking, and predictable long-term pricing, which frequently results in a lower all-in cost at remote or weak-grid industrial sites. 

Globally, nuclear power is widely treated as a zero-/non-emitting carbon source for policy and compliance (zero direct CO₂ at the point of generation, with very low lifecycle emissions). In Africa, high-level continental guidance similarly includes nuclear among the clean, reliable options to support development and decarbonization — positioning it alongside renewables in African Union energy and climate strategies.