Hadron Energy Secures Strategic Investment and Multi-Project Nuclear Deployment Framework with Smartland Energy

NEW YORK, NY — April 28, 2026 — Hadron Energy, Inc. ("Hadron"), a developer of advanced nuclear microreactor technology, and Smartland Energy, LLC ("Smartland"), a developer of modular, behind-the-meter power infrastructure for large industrial and digital loads, today announced the signing of a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding ("MOU") establishing a strategic collaboration to evaluate the potential deployment of Hadron's proprietary Halo Micro-Modular Reactor ("MMR") technology across up to five qualified Smartland projects over time. The MOU creates a portfolio-scale framework for technical and commercial evaluation across Smartland's behind-the-meter development pipeline. In connection with the MOU, Smartland has made an initial strategic investment in Hadron Energy and may consider additional participation in future financing rounds as the collaboration advances. The parties intend to pursue a phased, disciplined approach over time, with any individual deployment remaining subject to site-specific diligence, licensing, permitting, financing, commercial terms, and definitive agreements.

Industrial and digital operators are facing rapid load growth, multi-year interconnection queues, and increasing pressure to secure firm, on-site power solutions on commercially relevant timelines. As a result, infrastructure developers are placing greater emphasis on behind-the-meter generation that can support reliability, resilience, and long-term capacity planning independent of grid constraints. Advanced nuclear microreactors are one pathway being evaluated within that broader shift, and Smartland's collaboration with Hadron reflects that long-term planning approach.

A Portfolio Built for the Long Term

Smartland is advancing a development pipeline of approximately 150 MWe per project, with 12 projects targeted for completion by 2035, representing aggregate capacity demand of approximately 1.8 GWe. That behind-the-meter platform provides the strategic context for the Hadron collaboration and is intended to deliver resilient, scalable, on-site power to customers with stringent reliability and long-duration energy requirements. The MOU establishes a framework under which the parties will conduct technical feasibility studies and evaluate pathways for the potential integration of Hadron's Halo MMR technology across qualified Smartland projects over time, with an initial deployment targeted for the early 2030s, subject to completion of technical, commercial, and regulatory diligence.

The framework contemplates up to five potential future deployments across qualified Smartland projects, subject to final documentation, applicable approvals, and the full workstream of site-specific diligence, licensing, permitting, financing, and definitive agreements that governs each individual project decision. No project sites have been publicly identified, and none of Smartland's existing development projects are being modified as a result of this announcement.

Hadron’s Halo MMR: Firm Power in a New Form Factor

Central to the collaboration is Hadron's Halo Micro-Modular Reactor, a 10 MWe light-water nuclear system engineered for modular, behind-the-meter deployment. Light-water reactor technology is supported by decades of operating experience, an established supply chain, and available fuel. Hadron's MMR design is intended to help meet rising energy demand in industrial and digital applications while advancing toward commercialization.

Unlike traditional nuclear infrastructure, the Halo MMR is designed to be fully factory-fabricated and truck-transportable, enabling installation in a range of industrial and infrastructure contexts that have historically been inaccessible to nuclear generation. The reactor's compact form factor, combined with its ability to deliver continuous, carbon-free firm power independent of grid conditions, positions it as a meaningful component within a diversified behind-the-meter power strategy.

Hadron is advancing the Halo MMR through technical development, licensing engagement, and a growing set of strategic partnerships. The Company recently announced a collaboration with Paragon Energy Solutions, a Mirion Technologies Company, to develop the Instrumentation & Control (I&C) architecture for the Halo MMR which represents a critical subsystem milestone on the path toward commercial deployment. The Form S-4 registration statement filed by GigCapital7 Corp. (Nasdaq: GIG), to which Hadon is a co-registrant, became effective on April 15, 2026 and GigCapital7 has scheduled a shareholder meeting for May 7, 2026 for the purpose of seeking shareholder approval of the business combination between the two companies which will result in the Company’s proposed public listing, a process that would further capitalize the Company’s development and commercialization roadmap.

Strategic Investment Reflects Shared Conviction

In connection with the MOU, Smartland has made an initial strategic investment in Hadron Energy and may consider additional participation in future financing rounds. The investment reflects Smartland's view of the relationship as a long-term platform commitment rather than a transactional off-take arrangement.

“Power-hungry industrial and digital infrastructure cannot wait for the grid to catch up; it needs firm, on-site generation that performs independently of it. That is what the Halo MMR is designed to do, and Smartland's portfolio discipline is exactly the kind of partnership we are building toward.” - Sam Gibson, Founder & CEO, Hadron Energy

“Smartland Energy is developing a long-term portfolio of behind-the-meter power infrastructure for customers that need resilient, on-site generation. Our collaboration with Hadron reflects our view that advanced nuclear power will become an important part of the next generation of industrial and digital power infrastructure.” - Vadim Kleyner, CEO, Smartland Energy

Specific project locations are not being publicly identified and remain subject to site-specific diligence, licensing, permitting, financing, commercial structuring, and definitive agreements. Any deployment timeline remains dependent on development, manufacturing, regulatory, and project milestones, and any reference to the early 2030s reflects a current planning objective only. This announcement does not indicate that any existing Smartland project has been selected for nuclear deployment or that any current project-level plans have been modified.

See the full press release here: BusinessWire