The United States Air Force’s first nuclear microreactor prepared for Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska under the nuclear microreactor pilot program will be an Oklo liquid metal-cooled fast reactor.
The microreactor nuclear energy technology.was initiated in response to a Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act requirement
The Defense of Logistics Agency issued a Notice of Intent to Award that selects the Santa Clara, California–based nuclear technology for its Eielson Air Force Base pilot and initiates a purchase process to potentially award Oklo a 30-year, firm-fixed-price contract to pilot the advanced microreactor a nuclear energy technology.
The Micro-Reactor Pilot Program aims to build and operate at least one licensed microreactor by Dec. 31, 2027, that will deliver power and steam to a defense base under a long-term power purchase agreement.
DAF picked Eielson Air Force Base as the site for its first microreactor due to its resilient power needs for mission assurance, limited access to clean energy, existing energy infrastructure, and compatible climate.
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Oklo will site, design, build, own, and operate the microreactor
DAF will execute a land lease and the 30-year fixed price PPA with Oklo once Oklo obtains a combined operating license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It builds on a request for proposals issued in September 2022 and which closed on Jan. 31, 2023.
DAF said its next steps after selecting a vendor and releasing the NOITA will move to permitting and licensing activities. DAF is expected to begin a National Environmental Policy Act assessment by 2024. Microreactor demonstration and operational testing are targeted to begin by the end of 2027, though that timeline is “tentative and subject to change.