UK Today
The U.S. Army has selected five companies and five military installations for its Janus microreactor program, backed by up to $2.2 billion in federal funding. The Army aims to have at least one microreactor producing usable electricity at a military installation by September 30, 2028.
Private developers, including Aalo, are advancing reactor technology, supported by federal programs and efforts to streamline nuclear regulation. Governments worldwide are racing to develop small modular reactors (SMRs) as part of their plans for a nuclear power renaissance, with significant progress in recent years. SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors with a power capacity of up to 300 MW(e) per unit, much smaller than conventional reactors and modular in form, allowing them to be produced in factories and transported to sites.
They are cheaper and faster to construct than conventional reactors and can be developed incrementally. A microreactor is even smaller, designed to be transported by truck, boat, or plane, and could provide clean energy to rural locations without grid connectivity. These reactors generate between 1 MW and 20 MW of thermal energy, can operate for up to 10 years without refuelling, and are designed with safety systems to prevent overheating.
They run on a higher concentration of uranium-235 and can be connected to microgrids alongside renewable energy sources. In the U.S., the Department of Energy supports various advanced reactor designs, aligning with President Trump’s push for a nuclear power resurgence, aiming to quadruple nuclear power production by 2050. Texas-based Aalo’s Critical Test Reactor (CTR) achieved criticality in less than eight months, one of the fastest reactor builds in 80 years.
The U.S. Army has awarded up to $2.2 billion to five companies to construct microreactors at military bases, with deployment expected by the third quarter of 2028. The Army’s initiative, supported by relaxed regulations, aims to lead in advanced reactor development.
