A plan to deploy a nuclear energy source at a US military installation, first laid out in a May executive order, has grown some legs.
At AUSA this week, Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced the Janus Program, which will aim to get a nuclear reactor up and running at a domestic US military base by Sept. 30, 2028. The program will work with the Defense Innovation Unit to award milestone-based contracts for companies to build commercially owned and operated power systems. The ghost of NASA’s COTS program is alive and well with this one.
“By leveraging Army’s program management and oversight capabilities with the accomplishments of Project Pele, the US Army is ready to move forward at lightning speed to make next-generation nuclear power a reality,” Jeff Waksman, the Army’s lead on energy installation programs, said in a release.
In the running: There are a handful of advanced nuclear companies that have been planning out their entry into this program since Trump levied the executive order establishing it earlier this year. These companies are already participating in the DIU’s Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations (ANPI) program, which was announced in June 2024 and selected a batch of eligible participants in April of this year.
A few of the frontrunners are:
- Radiant Industries, a company founded by SpaceX alums building a nuclear power-plant-in-a-box (i.e., can fit on a single shipping container) for deployment in remote areas, replacing diesel generators. Radiant has a contract through ANPI with the Air Force to deliver a microreactor by 2028.
- X-energy, which is building TRISO pellet fuel for its microreactor design. X-energy won a contract in August with the DIU and Air Force to advance reactor design and development.
- BWXT, which is eligible for ANPI and also actively building a reactor under the Project Pele program, a DoD initiative that is building a nuclear power plant at Idaho National Lab.
- Westinghouse Electric Company, a leading provider of nuclear tech and designer of the AP1000 large-scale light water reactor, which has six units in operation and another six under construction around the world. Westinghouse is also participating in Project Pele.
Oklo, Antares Nuclear, General Atomics, and Kairos Power are all also eligible under ANPI.
Holding hands: The Janus Program is meant to help companies working to build high-priority microreactor technology muddle through their R&D and regulatory phases and get to full-scale commercialization.
The handful of existing DoD programs pushing forward on advanced nuclear deployment—including Project Pele and ANPI— will all be involved in the newly christened program, while the Army will provide additional technical oversight and support for the fuel cycle.