Pentagon Launches Project Pele for Nuclear Microreactors

Through a program called “Project Pele,” the Pentagon has awarded contracts to three companies to build nuclear microreactors, also known as micro-mobile nuclear reactors (yes, it’s a mouthful).  

What Project Pele Hopes to Achieve

Project Pele is essentially tasked with spearheading the development of nuclear microreactors for the U.S. military.  It’s a very forward-thinking project that is looking to invent and optimize a new source for nuclear power. 

The three companies hired in March 2020, located in the Washington D.C. area, are tasked with designing the technology over the next two years.  This is the first phase of the project.  The next phase of the project is all about constructing or building the technology design developed during the first phase, so that it can be put into practical use for the military.  Much of the development testing will occur at Idaho National Laboratories. 

The reason Project Pele is focused specifically on micro-mobile nuclear reactors is because they are safer, and mobile.  And, presumably, cost less to build than a full-blown nuke.  There are actually prototypes currently in use on “floating power plant” installations and Russia’s nuclear icebreakers.  In any case, it should give the Pentagon contractors a decent head start. 

However, no matter how good the design, there is still the matter of access to fuel.  In fact, according to the Popular Mechanics article linked above, fuel availability is huge problem, and this could stall the roll out of the nuclear microreactors.    

It will be interesting to see what the contractors come up with over the next 24 months.  If something ground-breaking is conceived, then we could be looking at the possibility of having mini-nukes providing energy to our homes by 2030!

But for now, Project Pele is about the military trying to improve its energy reliability and resilience, while minimizing emissions, and I hope it works out.