US military spending $2.2 bn to build small nuclear reactors

The US Army has allocated $2.2 billion to build and operate small nuclear reactors at five military bases across the United States. President Donald Trump set a September 2028 deadline for the first reactor to become operational, as part of an effort to advance next-generation civil nuclear power. Army officials have expressed concerns that the country's electric grid could be vulnerable in the event of conflict, and that accessing fossil fuels might become problematic.

Currently, the Army relies on liquid fossil fuels, primarily diesel, for backup power in case of grid outages. The government intends to install small nuclear reactors, also known as SMRs, at these five facilities, as the Department of Energy actively promotes SMR development. Five companies, including Antares Nuclear, Radiant Industries, Westinghouse, and General Atomics, have been chosen to undertake this project.

Since June, SMR prototypes have reached the critical stage, where they can operate independently without external energy sources. However, no SMR is currently in service, and only NuScale has received approval for its reactor design from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The US military has its own certification process tailored to its requirements, which facilitated the Navy's launch of the USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, in 1954.

The military is collaborating with the Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to harmonize regulatory processes, allowing SMR manufacturers to transition smoothly from military approval to potential NRC approval, thereby enabling them to market their reactors to industries or local governments.