Valar Watch · Fact gov-003

Fact gov-003

newrecordconfirmed DOE's agreement with Valar (OTA DENE0009560): $0, run from DOE Idaho, like all nine pilot-reactor OTAs on file

2025-10-22 · gov-003 · Valar Atomics, U.S. Department of Energy, DOE Idaho Operations Office, Office of Nuclear Energy · total obligation on OTA DENE0009560 (and on each of nine Reactor Pilot Program OTAs): $0

The USAspending record for FAIN DENE0009560 (API, read 2026-09-29) adds to orig-055: the award type is 'other reimbursable, contingent, intangible, or indirect financial assistance' (type 11), under assistance listing 81.121, 'Nuclear Energy Research, Development and Demonstration'; the awarding office is DOE's Idaho Operations Office and the funding office is Nuclear Energy; the period runs 22 October 2025 to 4 July 2027; there is one transaction, a 'NEW' action dated 12 May 2026 obligating $0, with no modification number; the record was last modified 19 May 2026; place of performance is Hawthorne, Los Angeles County, California, the company's business address, not Emery County. A search of the same database for 'Reactor Pilot Program' agreements returns nine such OTAs, every one at $0: Last Energy (from 18 Sept 2025), Aalo (22 Sept), Antares (23 Sept), Valar (22 Oct), Deep Fission (14 Nov), Natura Resources (24 Nov), Terrestrial Energy (19 Dec 2025), Atomic Alchemy (6 Jan 2026) and Oklo (9 Feb 2026). Valar's period ends 4 July 2027, a year after the program's criticality deadline; some others ended on 4 July 2026. A subaward search (contracts and grants, FY2021-FY2026) finds no federal subaward to Valar either. The agreement text, milestones and any modifications are not on USAspending or any public DOE page found (safe-007).

In plain termsAn 'Other Transaction Agreement' is a flexible federal deal that is neither a grant nor a normal purchase contract; agencies use it to work with private companies on new technology with fewer standard rules. DOE signed one with each company in its test-reactor program, and each is recorded at zero dollars, so DOE's statement that the companies pay their own way holds for Valar on the federal record. What the agreement makes Valar promise, and what it lets DOE demand, is written in a document the public has not seen. Its location field says California, even though the reactor is in Emery County.

USAspending award ASST_NON_DENE0009560_089 (API record) (USAspending.gov (U.S. Department of the Treasury), 2026-05-19) primary government “VALAR OTHER TRANSACTION AGREEMENT (OTA) FOR DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE) REACTOR PILOT PROGRAM”
USAspending transactions for award ASST_NON_DENE0009560_089 (API query) (USAspending.gov, 2026-05-12) primary government
USAspending award search, keyword 'REACTOR PILOT PROGRAM', award type 11, FY2025-FY2026 (API query run 2026-09-29) (USAspending.gov) primary government
USAspending subaward search, recipient 'VALAR ATOMICS', contract and grant subawards, FY2021-FY2026 (API query run 2026-09-29; 0 results) (USAspending.gov) primary government

verified 2026-09-29: Re-ran the USAspending award, transactions and search queries 2026-09-29: type 11, CFDA 81.121, Idaho Operations Office, 22 Oct 2025 to 4 Jul 2027, one NEW $0 action on 12 May 2026, Hawthorne CA; nine pilot OTAs all $0; 0 subawards; the only award of any type to Valar is this OTA. Holds.

In tabs: government, funding, process, timeline · file government