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The nine sites were chosen after an evaluation of \u201cmission critical installations, energy requirements and resiliency gaps, power infrastructure, environmental and technical considerations,\u201d the service said in a news release Tuesday. Officials said it was possible that not all the named installations would receive microreactors in the coming years, but the Army envisions placing them at many more installations in the coming decades.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese early site selections align with the Department of War\u2019s goal of accelerating the pace of deploying on-site nuclear generation at our installations,\u201d Jordan Gillis, the Army\u2019s assistant secretary for installations, energy and environment, said in a prepared statement. \u201cThrough the use of the Army\u2019s unique nuclear regulatory authorities, we are deploying a resilient, secure and reliable energy supply for critical defense operations and in support of the most lethal land-based fighting force in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Army officials said last month the Janus Program would be a public-private program in which commercial companies own and operate nuclear microreactors on Army installations and under the service\u2019s oversight.<\/p>\n
Microreactors are nuclear reactors about 100 to 1,000 times smaller than conventional nuclear reactors, some of which can be small enough to be transported on a semi-truck\u2019s tractor-trailer, according to the Idaho National Laboratory, which oversees much of the Department of Energy\u2019s nuclear power research. The reactors can produce up to 50 megawatts of power and can function entirely independently of the traditional electric grid, according to the laboratory.<\/p>\n
The Pentagon\u2019s Defense Innovation Unit has given commercial companies until Dec. 15 to submit prototyping bids for the microreactors to be placed at Army installations by the end of 2030. DIU wants the companies to build microreactors capable of producing up to 20 megawatts of power.<\/p>\n
Army officials have described the latest generation of microreactors as a \u201csignificant technological advancement, in safety, security and waste management.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are safe by design, not by intervention protocols,\u201d according to the Army news release. Still, the DIU instructions to commercial bidders require that the microreactors include \u201cpassive safety features,\u201d limits on radiation output, and a mandate that operational controls be accessible only from \u201cwithin the Army installation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Army shares a commitment to public safety and transparency with our host communities and recognizes that the communities surrounding these installations have vested interest in their operations,\u201d the Tuesday statement read. \u201cThe Army is committed to providing transparent information throughout the planning process and welcomes public engagement and feedback.<\/p>\n