To secure a reliable source of energy in the event of the power grid going down, the U.S. Army is turning to nuclear microreactors to help provide constant, uninterruptible electricity to its military installations.<\/p>\n
And a division of San Diego-based defense contractor and long-time nuclear innovator General Atomics has been selected as one of the companies to help make the ambition a reality.<\/p>\n
General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems was recently tapped<\/a> as one of five initial vendors for the Janus Program \u2014 the Army\u2019s $2.2 billion effort to deploy commercial microreactors within the next two years.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Janus Program is about transitioning from designs and experiments to reliable commercial hardware, which secures our energy independence,\u201d Jeff Waksman<\/a>, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, said in a statement.<\/p>\n The company will deploy its General Atomics Tactical Energy System, or GA-TES, to Fort Hood \u2014 a major Army post near Killeen, Texas.<\/p>\n GA-TES is a liquid-cooled microreactor with a baseline net output of about 5 megawatts of electricity that is architecturally scalable to about 20 megawatts. For perspective, the total load at Fort Hood is between 53 and 75 megawatts.<\/p>\n The modular nature of GA-TES allows the system to be transported and deployed by truck or rail and is designed for remote, off-gird and extreme environments. It has a 40-year design life.<\/p>\n \u201cGeneral Atomics draws on more than 70 years of nuclear innovation and reactor expertise to deliver microreactor technologies that provide safe, dependable and independent power for military installations,\u201d said Scott Forney, president of General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems<\/a>.<\/p>\n The other respective vendors and installation sites are:<\/p>\n Antares Nuclear Inc., at Fort Bragg in North Carolina Like General Atomics, Antares Nuclear and Radiant Industries are companies based in Southern California. Antares<\/a> is located in Torrance and Radiant<\/a> in El Segundo.<\/p>\n The five vendors, the Army said<\/a>, will receive government funding only after they successfully hit specific technical goals. The $2.2 billion runs from fiscal years 2027 through 2031.<\/p>\n Army officials plan to announce additional military sites and contractors at a later date and want to have at least one microreactor up and running by Sept. 30, 2028<\/a>.<\/p>\n The prototype reactors will be owned and operated by each contractor, while the Army will provide<\/a> technical oversight and regulatory support.<\/p>\n Launched last year, the Janus Program seeks to provide bases with reliable 24\/7 power at a time of heightened concerns about the grid\u2019s ability to respond to cyberattacks, extreme weather and anticipated growth in electricity demand from artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to be able to meet the Army\u2019s mission if there are any vulnerabilities in the grid,\u201d Brandon Cockrell, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Energy and Sustainability, said on Aug. 26<\/a> when the vendors were announced.<\/p>\n Microreactors are much smaller than traditional nuclear facilities, such as the Diablo Canyon Power Plant near San Luis Obispo that by itself accounts for about 9% California\u2019s generation<\/a>.<\/p>\n By contrast, the compact microreactors envisioned by Army officials expect to take up fewer than five acres of land. They include safety features such as the ability to automatically shut down in the event of emergencies and require no manual operator action or external backup power.<\/p>\n The Janus Program is part of an executive order<\/a> issued last year by President Donald Trump to \u201cusher in a nuclear renaissance and expand America\u2019s Energy Dominance agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n The Army says spent nuclear fuel, or waste, from the reactors will not be stored permanently on post. The material will eventually be transported to U.S. Department of Energy or national laboratory facilities for long-term storage or recycling.<\/p>\n The reactors will be licensed by the Army, rather than the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.<\/p>\n That, and concerns about the costs and potential risks of the project, drew criticism from Alan J. Kuperman<\/a>, associate professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas and coordinator of the\u00a0Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Project.<\/a><\/p>\n
\nBWXT Advanced Technologies, at Fort Campbell in Kentucky
\nRadiant Industries Inc., at Fort Benning in Georgia, and
\nWestinghouse Government Services, at Fort Drum in New York.<\/p>\n