Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The US Army said on Wednesday that it plans to add nuclear microreactors at five military bases across the country as a reliable source of power that does not depend on the commercial electric grid. Under the plan, five companies will be eligible for awards worth up to USD 2.2 billion in total over five years if they meet performance milestones, and the Army expects more than 20 microreactors to be built and operated.
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The move comes as the Trump administration pushes the next generation of nuclear power, including support for large reactors and advanced designs for military and civilian use. Army and industry officials said microreactors can provide resilient power for critical infrastructure at military installations if the grid fails, and can run for years without refuelling. No nuclear microreactors currently supply power to the commercial electric grid in the United States.
Army Secretary Dan Driscoll said the awards will accelerate the military’s ability “to deliver safe, reliable baseload power directly to our installations. We are building the energy resilience necessary to project combat power globally, without relying on potentially vulnerable external grids,” he said.
The grants are part of the Army’s Janus Program, launched last year to deliver next-generation nuclear energy. Officials said they want advanced reactor designs to move beyond experiments and prototypes and begin supplying power for years to come. This will be the “spear tip,” said Jeff Waksman, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment.
“That is the transition that we are trying to effect here,” Waksman said on a call with reporters on Wednesday. “These are not meant to be Army-specific designs.”
Critics of building more nuclear reactors say they are too expensive and riskier than other energy sources. Waksman said the reactors would shut down safely in the event of a failure, that they are small, and that the Army would not place them at installations unless it was certain they were safe. He said the Army is working on an arrangement with the Energy Department to remove radioactive waste, and there will be no long-term storage at these installations.
President Donald Trump signed executive orders in May 2025 to speed up the development of nuclear power, and the Army was tasked with ensuring that an advanced reactor begins operating at a domestic military installation by September 30, 2028. Waksman said officials picked five companies because delivering nuclear power to a military base will be challenging, and one or more projects could fail.
The selected companies are Antares Nuclear at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, BWX Technologies at Fort Campbell in Kentucky, General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems at Fort Hood in Texas, Radiant Industries at Fort Benning in Georgia, and Westinghouse Government Services at Fort Drum in New York. US Senator Chuck Schumer had asked the Army to choose Fort Drum, saying the critical missions supported there require safe, secure, reliable and resilient onsite power generation.
The reactors will be licensed by the Army rather than the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which licenses commercial nuclear reactors. Waksman said the Army is trying to align its regulatory process as much as possible so companies do not have to make major changes later if they seek NRC licences. Along with federal funding, the Army expects billions of dollars in private capital investment.
The military bases will remain connected to the grid, and the reactors will not fully power them. Each reactor will provide between 1 megawatt and 20 megawatts, depending on the design, while major bases use as much power as a small city. Waksman said Antares and Radiant plan to deliver their reactors in sets of three.
The Army currently uses diesel as the main backup for critical infrastructure. But Waksman said that in a conflict, the Army may not be able to move fossil fuels easily to where they are needed. “That makes nuclear energy just a natural game changer,” he said. “It makes sense for the Army to take the lead here.”
According to the US Army Corps of Engineers, a reactor at Fort Belvoir in Virginia, completed in 1957, was the first nuclear power reactor to provide electricity to a commercial power grid in the United States for an extended period.
The announcement was welcomed by the selected companies. California-based Antares said the decision adds to its momentum after reaching a key milestone under a US pilot programme that could allow it to produce electricity within a few years. Tori Shivanandan, president and chief operating officer of Radiant, said the Army’s USD 750 million award “shows confidence in Radiant’s product and ability to manufacture, deploy and safely operate nuclear microreactors for the American military.” She said the Janus programme “will build a stronger and more resilient America”. BWXT president and chief executive officer Rex Geveden said, “As we commence work on the Janus program, we are delivering the nation’s most credible and reliable path to deployable nuclear power.”
In all, the Army’s plan marks a major push to place nuclear microreactors at five bases, with officials presenting them as a safer and more resilient backup power source while also trying to move advanced reactor technology into wider long-term use.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
