GREAT FALLS — On April 22nd, the Department of the Air Force, in conjunction with the Defense Innovation Unit, announced it has selected three companies to potentially develop and operate a microreactor on an Air Force installation as part of the Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations initiative, also known as ANPI.
Malmstrom Air Force Base is one of the installations being evaluated. Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado and Joint Base San Antonio in Texas are also being reviewed as potential locations under the initiative.
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The selected companies have each been paired with an installation. Malmstrom AFB has been matched with Westinghouse Government Services, Buckley SFB has been paired with Radiant Industries, Inc., and Joint Base San Antonio has been paired with Antares Nuclear, Inc.
Westinghouse announced that its eVinci microreactor is the technology being considered for Malmstrom.
The Department of the Air Force, in partnership with MITRE and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, conducted a comprehensive analysis of compatible installations before selecting the final locations. That review included detailed site visits and looked at each installation’s suitability to host a microreactor, including land availability and infrastructure.
Moving forward, Malmstrom’s role will be to support siting and environmental analysis as part of the National Environmental Policy Act process.
“As with all commercial nuclear energy facilities in the United States, the selected vendors must follow strict federal nuclear safety and environmental regulations and processes as part of the National Environmental Policy Act review process,” Malmstrom Public Affairs told MTN.
That process includes the development and testing of detailed safety and emergency response plans, from reactor design to decommissioning.
The Air Force says the goal of the ANPI initiative is to strengthen installation energy security by evaluating technologies that could provide reliable, uninterrupted power and support mission readiness.
According to information released about the initiative, modern microreactors offer 24/7 resilient power, built-in safety features and the ability to operate independently from the commercial grid. Officials also said their small footprint and modular, offsite manufacturing make them a potential option for critical military installations vulnerable to power disruptions.
However, base officials said any reactor deployed under ANPI would only serve critical facilities on the installation. It would not provide power to the commercial grid.
“While the DAF does not intend for any microreactors deployed under ANPI to generate commercial power that will be delivered to the commercial grid, the Department of the Air Force intends to fully and proactively engage and cooperate with base utility providers on all required permits and agreements,” Malmstrom Public Affairs said.
Any advanced nuclear reactor under ANPI would be operated by trained nuclear industry operators, not Malmstrom personnel. Those operators would be licensed by either the Nuclear Regulatory Commission or the Department of Energy as part of a commercial ownership and operation agreement with the Department of the Air Force.
Before any reactor could operate, it would also need either an operating license from the NRC or authorization from the DOE.
“The DAF is coordinating with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy to evaluate the safety of each potential reactor technology to ensure adherence to the strictest safety standards,” said Malmstrom Public Affairs.
The Air Force has previously said the ANPI initiative plans to have at least one advanced nuclear reactor operating on at least one Air Force installation by 2030 or sooner. Next steps include siting and environmental analyses as part of the NEPA process.
Air Force officials expressed that the program’s success depends on community trust, proactive engagement and transparent communication as the process moves forward.
