The US Department of Energy (DOE) has invested $ 1 million to continue researching HTGR. Next Generation Nuclear Power Plant (NGNP) Industry Coalition said it has obtained a flat-rate capital injection contract and continued its business and economic analysis using the HTGR technology. In addition to power generation, the reactor can also be used for hydrogen production, refined petroleum and biofuels, desalination, fertilizer production, shale oil recovery, and cogeneration. In 2005, the US Energy Policy Act established the NGNP project and built a prototype HTGR reactor. Power generation and hydrogen generation facilities started operation in 2021. The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is responsible for the project and has a cost sharing contract with the private sector. The total cost of the project is currently estimated at about 4 billion U.S. dollars. The NGNP Industry Consortium comprises 14 companies that involve the major reactor suppliers and potential end users. Reactor suppliers include AREVA, Westinghouse, Entergy Utilities. End users include The Dow Chemical Company and ConocoPhillips.