Summer Myatt
The Department of Defense has exercised a one-year contract option for reactor design engineering company X-energy as the U.S. military is eyeing potential energy applications of nuclear power to bases and operations.
DOD said Wednesday the Rockville, Maryland-based company will further develop its transportable microreactor technology under Project Pele with the goal of securing a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license.
The award comes as DOD’s Strategic Capabilities Office seeks to complement a design from BWX Technologies currently in the prototype fabrication phase.
With the exercised option, SCO expects to help advance X-Energy’s work to regulatory preapplication efforts.
The two companies won initial other transaction agreements in March 2020 and options to finalize reactor designs the following year.