Out of hundreds of military installations, Fort Benning is among the nine locations the U.S. Department of the Army has selected as a potential site for its next-generation nuclear power project, called the Janus Program.
The Army announced in a news release the installations under consideration, listed in alphabetical order, not ranked by preference: * Fort Benning * Fort Bragg * Fort Campbell * Fort Drum * Fort Hood * Fort Wainwright * Holston Army Ammunition Plant * Joint Base Lewis-McChord * Redstone Arsenal.
The United States had more than 450 military installations in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico as of June 2023, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
“We were proud to learn that Fort Benning was one of nine installations the Army identified for potential deployment and use of microreactor power plants to support national security objectives and mission-critical operations,” Fort Benning garrison public affairs director Joe Cole told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email. “This is an important step in a long-term effort to advance our nation’s energy resilience through next-generation nuclear technology. If Fort Benning is selected, we expect the Janus Program will deliver resilient, secure, and assured energy to sustain our national security and defense missions.” Army’s site selection criteria for Janus Program
The Army performed what it described in the news release as a “comprehensive analysis and on-site assessment” of installations to identify the nine sites that are “optimal locations for initial deployment.”
Selection criteria included “energy requirements and resiliency gaps, power infrastructure, environmental and technical considerations,” the Army said.
The number of sites that will be in the final selection, and when they will be announced, hasn’t been made public yet.
“The Army is committed to maximizing the number of sites based on technical feasibility, site suitability, and available resources,” the news release says.
Jordan Gills, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment, said in the news release, “These early site selections align with the Department of War’s goal of accelerating the pace of deploying on-site nuclear generation at our installations. Through the use of the Army’s unique nuclear regulatory authorities, we are deploying a resilient, secure, and reliable energy supply for critical defense operations and in support of the most lethal land-based fighting force in the world.” What is a microreactor?
According to the U.S. Department of Energy website, microreactors aren’t operational yet, but when they are, they will have three main features:
1. Factory fabricated: “All components of a microreactor would be fully assembled in a factory and shipped out to location. This eliminates difficulties associated with large-scale construction, reduces capital costs and would help get the reactor up and running quickly,” the website says.
2. Transportable: “Smaller unit designs will make microreactors very transportable. This would make it easy for vendors to ship the entire reactor by truck, shipping vessel, airplane or railcar,” the website says.
3. Self-adjusting: “Simple and responsive design concepts will allow microreactors to self-adjust. They won’t require a large number of specialized operators and would utilize passive safety systems that prevent any potential for overheating or reactor meltdown,” the website says.
Microreactor power plants will be a “significant” technological advancement in safety, security and waste management, the Army said.
“The Janus Program is leveraging the Department of Energy and its network of National Labs to ensure the appropriate expertise is applied to the evaluation of proposed designs, operational plans, and emergency preparedness plans,” the news release says.
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