US Army Plans Tiny Nuclear Reactors for Remote Military Bases

1 WASHINGTON: The US Army is moving ahead with plans to develop and deploy tiny nuclear reactors at military bases, with up to $2.2 billion set to be awarded to five companies under a programme aimed at ensuring reliable power supplies at remote installations. Known as microreactors, the factory-built nuclear systems are designed to be transported to different locations and could generate up to 20 megawatts of electricity each, according to the Army. The programme, called Janus, aims to deploy the first reactor by September 2028. The technology could eventually be used to provide power to remote military installations, including bases in Alaska and on islands. The five companies selected by the Army and their proposed base locations are: Antares Nuclear Inc — Fort Bragg, North Carolina BWXT Advanced Technologies LLC — Fort Campbell, Kentucky General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems — Fort Hood, Texas Radiant Industries Inc — Fort Benning, Georgia Westinghouse Government Services — Fort Drum, New York The Army has not disclosed how much funding each company will receive. Radiant, however, said it could receive up to $750 million to develop and deploy 15 of its Kaleidos reactors. Trump Claims North Korea Has 57 Nuclear Weapons, Signals New Meeting With Kim Jong Un Army eyes lower energy costs Army officials said the reactors would have to comply with applicable environmental and safety requirements, but they would be regulated by the Army rather than the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which oversees commercial nuclear reactors. Jeff Waksman, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, said the long-term goal was to develop a commercial product. Radiant Chief Commercial Officer Mike Starrett told Reuters that the Janus award could help the company expand its technology for future commercial customers, including data centres, by around 2030. Microreactors have faced criticism over their expected costs compared with conventional nuclear power plants. Waksman acknowledged that the technology is not expected to be cheaper initially but said the Janus programme would explore ways to reduce costs. The Army currently spends around 40 cents per kilowatt-hour to supply electricity to Arctic installations, according to Waksman. Radiant said its containerised reactors could avoid some energy transmission costs because they can be transported directly to customers, potentially bringing delivered electricity costs down to between 20 and 30 cents per kilowatt-hour. The programme is part of the US military's broader effort to secure dependable energy supplies for remote bases where conventional power infrastructure can be expensive or difficult to maintain.