The Department of the Air Force (DAF), in partnership with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), has selected the Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado and Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana as potential sites for nuclear microreactors.
The selections are part of the Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations (ANPI) program, a partnership between the Air Force and DIU aimed at deploying “advanced, contractor-owned and operated nuclear microreactors on DAF installations in partnership with commercial reactor companies.”
As part of the ANPI program, the Defense Department selected eight companies eligible to receive Other Transaction awards to provide commercially available dual-use microreactor technology at various military installations.
Officials anticipate that companies will “site, license, construct, operate, and decommission the microreactors.”
“By advancing the use of next-generation nuclear energy, the DAF is strengthening the energy security of our power projection platforms and contributing to long-term national energy leadership,” said Nancy Balkus, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for Infrastructure, Energy, and Environment. “This initiative represents a critical step in ensuring the department remains the world’s premier Air Force and Space Force.”
Nuclear microreactors are very small reactors, usually generating less than 50 megawatts, and are seen as an alternative to small modular (50-300 megawatts) or conventional reactors (often around 1,000 megawatts). Microreactors can be produced more quickly and can be transported and deployed within weeks to locations such as isolated military bases. They are designed to provide resilient, non-carbon-emitting, and independent power in those environments.
Subject matter experts from the Air Force and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory evaluated potential sites and selected Buckley and Malmstrom based on their existing utility infrastructure, available land, and mission requirements.
According to officials, in the coming months, the bases will be paired with an ANPI nuclear vendor technology that best fits the installation’s energy needs. Officials anticipate deploying the ANPI reactor by 2030 or earlier.
Officials also made clear that the ANPI program is separate from the microreactor pilot program at Eielson AFB, Alaska, which is a stand-alone effort focused on demonstrating the feasibility and operational benefits of a microreactor at a single installation.