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DOD Exercises Option on Second Micro Nuclear Reactor Design
Sept. 13, 2023
As part of the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) initiative Project Pele, the Department of Defense (DOD) has awarded a contract option to X-energy, LLC of Rockville, Maryland in order to develop an enhanced engineering design for a transportable micro nuclear reactor.
The DOD uses approximately 30 Terawatt-hours of electricity per year and more than 10 million gallons of fuel per day—levels that are only expected to increase due to anticipated electrification of the vehicle fleet and maturation of future energy-intensive capabilities. A safe, small, transportable nuclear reactor would address this growing demand with a resilient, carbon-free energy source that does not add to the DOD’s fuel needs, while supporting mission-critical operations in remote and austere environments.
There’s been some research into space-based solar power by the DoD for that exact reason. It was a while ago, but launch costs have come down substantially and the idea is possibly viable at this point. And even back then, IIRC it was projected to be less than we spent air conditioning the desert in Iraq.
https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3524458/dod-exercises-option-on-second-micro-nuclear-reactor-design/
Way ahead of you.
That’s actually pretty cool but for a wartime setting that would be one huge, centralized and vulnerable target
There’s been some research into space-based solar power by the DoD for that exact reason. It was a while ago, but launch costs have come down substantially and the idea is possibly viable at this point. And even back then, IIRC it was projected to be less than we spent air conditioning the desert in Iraq.