The Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Opportunity IV. announced a program to build a 5th-generation nuclear reactor.

It will be a miniature nuclear reactor called Project Pele, and the instruments will be installed and operated at the Idaho National Laboratory. The device will provide power from 1 to 5 megawatts for at least 3 years.

As noted, the development is primarily beneficial for the US military: small but powerful energy sources in the field will give the military a strategic advantage.

However, no contractor has yet been selected to meet the US Department of Defense’s requirements. Three candidates were selected, but as a result only two proposed a suitable design. These companies are developing high-temperature gas-cooled microreactors that use high-quality, low-enriched uranium fuel. This fuel is more resistant to heat and more useful than conventional fuel.

There is also an important condition: the reactor must be portable. It will need to be moved easily by air or rail.

“Advanced nuclear power could be a milestone for the US, both for the Department of Defense and for the commercial sector. However, the reactor must first be successfully tested under real operating conditions,” said Dr. Jeff Waxman, Program Manager for Project Pele.