The Army has partnered with the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) on a new effort to assess industry’s nuclear microreactor solutions, with an aim to bolster energy resilience at installations.
Under the new Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations (ANPI) prototype program, the Army and DIU are seeking information on industry’s ability to provide electricity generation and distribution with on-site nuclear microreactors that could be operational by 2030.
“Modular advanced nuclear power is a joint and global need. DIU Energy’s effort will help bolster and protect critical energy infrastructure, by providing a supply of carbon-free energy for emerging, future mission and facility needs within the DoD, allowing for installation energy resilience,” Andrew Higier, portfolio director for DIU Energy, said in a statement.
DIU’s notice for the new ANPI effort cites recent congressional testimony from Army Secretary Christine Wormuth that the service was interested “in the potential of micro reactors” as it looks to improve energy resilience at installations, beyond the use of off-site electricity providers.
“This energy dependence creates mission risks due to disruptions from extreme weather and cybersecurity attacks. While current renewable energy solutions, such as wind and solar energy are carbon-free, they are intermittent, and require battery storage or other solutions to mitigate the intermittency,” DIU writes. “Therefore, the Army is seeking a novel approach using recent advances in the nuclear industry that can provide continuous/reliable power regardless of weather conditions to 1) maintain military mission continuity and 2) comply with Congressional mandate under the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act to provide its critical missions with a goal of 99.9 percent reliable energy by 2030.”
The solicitation notice adds the ANPI program aims to “demonstrate the capability of nuclear power to provide safe, secure, reliable and environmentally compliant electricity in support of Army installation readiness goals” as well as “stimulating microreactor development and supply chain in the U.S.”
The window to submit “solution briefs” detailing prototypes for on-site microreactor nuclear capabilities for installations is open until June 21, with DIU and the Army seeking information on the “design, construction, operation, deconstruction and returning the site to an unrestricted release status.”
The notice cites the Army’s interest in nuclear microreactors that utilize uranium-235 that is enriched at no more than 20 percent levels and are “capable of producing enough electrical power to meet 100 percent of all critical loads, anticipated to preferably be within 3MW and 10MW of electrical power.”
The available footprint for a future nuclear microreactor site on an installation in the continental U.S. would be no larger than five acres, according to the notice.
For successful prototypes, the Army may look to enter into a sole-sourced, follow-on contract or production agreement “for the continued purchase of electricity and decommissioning at the end of the operating life,” DIU writes in the solicitation notice.
The Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office has been leading its own effort, called Project Pele, working with X-energy Reactor Company and BWX Technologies [BWXT] to develop a transportable, cost-effective advanced nuclear microreactor prototype for use in remote military locations (Defense Daily, Sept. 21 2023).