Naomi Cooper
BWX Technologies is expecting to deliver a working version of a Department of Defense-funded mobile nuclear reactor to Idaho National Laboratory in the next two years, Bloomberg reported Monday.
DOD awarded BWXT a $280 million contract in 2022 to design, build and demonstrate a transportable microreactor prototype that can be used to power remote military bases and support other defense applications.
Joe Miller, president of BWXT’s advanced technologies unit, said approximately 70 percent of the contract funds will be used to build the first reactor and the remaining budget will cover one-time start-up costs.
Production work under the Project Pele initiative is taking place at a facility outside Lynchburg, Virginia, where it is expected to produce two to three microreactor systems per year.
Upon delivery to INL in 2025, the small nuclear reactor will undergo a series of tests before deploying to military users.
