US plans to develop mobile nuclear microreactors to power military bases in remote areas

News, US April 20, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. Department of Defense revealed the plans to revive the idea of developing mobile and portable nuclear microreactors that can be flown to military bases in remote areas through C-17 cargo planes.

The U.S. Department of Defense Strategic Capability Office (SCO) would head the Project Pele which focuses on building the prototype mobile microreactor at the Idaho National Laboratory site.

The nuclear microreactor prototype would be the first of the Generation IV nuclear electric generator reactor. SCO aims to produce an ‘inherently safe’ and compact design for nuclear microreactors. These microreactors would have the ability to be transported for military use and be able to deliver 1 – 5 MegaWatts of electrical power for a minimum of three years.

The Program Manager for Project Pele Dr. Jeff Waksman said in a statement, “Advanced nuclear power has the potential to be a strategic game-changer for the United States, both for the Department of Defense and for the commercial sector. For it to be adopted, it must first be successfully demonstrated under real world operating conditions.”

The drawing board plans for Project Pele were in progress since 2010, but it was in March 2020 that U.S. Army awarded a $40 million contract to three different companies for the production of first prototype. It is expected that the testing and experimentation process for these microreactors would be completed in 2024.

*^{U.S. Army seeks to field a mobile nuclear reactor to power forward operating bases. (Image Credit: Department of Defense)}*

Project Pele has drawn also criticism from several non-governmental organizations and social activists that are working to promote the prevention of nuclear proliferation. Members of the Nuclear Safety Project at the Union of Concerned Scientists showed their reservations about putting the nuclear microreactors on military bases that are prone to sustain military attacks. According to them, these nuclear reactors would be like sitting ducks for the enemy to target.

The design and concept of these nuclear microreactors show that they “would not be able to survive a direct kinetic attack” which can lead to severe nuclear devastation. While addressing these concerns, Dr. Jeff Waksman stated that these microreactors would be used only at safe locations and they would be deployed only in case when there is no other means for electric power generation. The U.S. Army does not plan to deploy nuclear microreactors in any location where there exists a danger of an external attack.

Waksman further stated that the new design of these microreactors uses the ‘high-temperature gas reactor’ technology, which provides much more safety compared to the older generation of reactors and fuel.

^{A U.S. Army Truck hauling a Holos small nuclear generator with skin, shields, and auxiliary components removed to show the exoskeletal structure housing the nuclear module. (Image Credit: Holos/via Forbes)}

This is not the first time that U.S. military plans to deploy portable nuclear reactors to power its bases. During the Cold War era, Army Nuclear Power Program ran from 1954 to 1977, under which eight small and transportable nuclear reactors were developed. These reactors could produce electric energy ranging from 1 to 10 MegaWatts. However, a major failure in the original design for these reactors leads to a core meltdown and explosion of one of the eight reactors at the Idaho National Reactor Testing Station, killing three operators. This incident forced the Department of Defense to shut down the Army Nuclear Power Program. National Reactor Testing Station is now known as the Idaho National Laboratory where the testing of Project Pele reactors is expected to take place in 2024.