Radiant microreactor selected for deployment by US Navy

Radiant has already been selected to partner with the US Army and the US Air Force in their microreactor deployment programmes, making it the only company to be selected by all three US military departments.

Radiant's Kaleidos is a factory-built, 1 MW high-temperature gas-cooled transportable microreactor. Described by the company as "plug-in ready" for direct deployment on site, each reactor provides up to five years of power before refuelling across a 20-year life and requires no cooling water, no major excavation and no extensive on-site construction.

In September, the US Department of War announced plans to install a commercially owned and operated micromodular reactor at Crane, under the Janus Program. Launched a year ago, Janus is a next-generation nuclear power programme aimed at delivering "resilient, secure, and assured energy to support national defence installations and critical missions". The plant at Crane, as well as being the US Navy's first shore-based advanced micromodular reactor, will be the first power-producing nuclear reactor in the state of Indiana.

“The Janus Program was built from day one to deliver real, reliable hardware and systems to solve energy resilience challenges across all of the Services,” said Jeff Waksman, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment. “We are excited to partner with the Navy to place a Janus reactor at NWS Crane, and by doing so to deliver the state of Indiana its first advanced microreactor.”

The project will now advance through design refinement, prototype testing, environmental review, site preparation and regulatory coordination before deployment, Radiant said. The company will work with the Navy, Army, Defense Innovation Unit, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and other partners, with technical expertise and support from the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.

The Kaleidos reactor is undergoing testing at the Idaho National Laboratory DOME facility, having been awarded a full year's exclusive access to the facility by the Department of Energy after a competitive selection process.