A nuclear reactor can help military installations by offering a long-duration power supply that supports black-start capability, and more.
The US Department of Defense and the Department of the Air Force have signed an agreement with X-energy Reactor Company to advance the development of its commercial microreactor.The agreement has been made with the goal of deploying advanced nuclear technologies at DoD installations to support national security.
It aligns with President Donald Trump’s executive order issued in May 2025.It will support the design and development of X-energy’s XENITH microreactor under the Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations program, which DIU leads in partnership with the Department of the Air Force.The program aims to accelerate the deployment of next-generation microreactor technologies to provide power at military installations. It enables government agencies to engage with private companies under a flexible contracting mechanism that allows for faster development and deployment of commercial nuclear systems.X-energy’s XENITH microreactorX-energy’s XENITH is a high-temperature gas-cooled microreactor first developed for DOD’s Project Pele. As per the company’s goal, each unit will roughly be the size of an average shipping container.The company says that it can operate continuously for 20 years without refueling, generating 3-10 MW of electricity. The nuclear reactor is scalable to multiple units to meet higher power demands.It can be deployed easily with a small footprint of less than 2 acres, and this enables its integration with the existing infrastructure.Each installation consists of four components, which are designed for optimum performance. The nuclear reactor comes with advanced safety features; it also has a heat transfer system that uses helium as the primary coolant. The power conversion system features an open-air Brayton cycle with an industrial gas turbine; moreover, the nuclear island building has housing components and provides access for operations and maintenance.Furthermore, the company claims the nuclear reactor can be completely decommissioned within two years after it ends its life cycle.The nuclear reactor comes with multiple layers of safety that include shielding solutions and more.It can help military installations by offering a long-duration power supply that supports black-start capability, base resilience, and mission readiness without dependence on vulnerable fuel supply chains.X-energy CEO J Clay Sell said, “We’re seeing the full force of federal partnership mobilized to bring advanced nuclear to market, and the leadership of the Trump Administration has been phenomenal.”He went on to add that X-energy is proud to be a partner with the administration to support America’s energy leadership.Other nuclear reactors and fuel offerings by the companyThe company is also working on the fourth-generation Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactor as a grid-scale energy solution for utilities, industrial customers, and hyperscalers. It is an 80 megawatt , 200 MW capacity reactor that can be scaled into a ‘four-pack’ 320 MWe power plant. The company also says that its modular design can enable the scale to grow even larger if the need arises.Moreover, it is being pitched as an affordable solution compared to competitors. The Xe-100 will be made using off-the-shelf components, which will be manufactured and shipped to the deployment site.It will run on TRISO particle fuel and is being designed to have an operational life of 60 years.X-energy is also constructing an advanced nuclear fuel fabrication facility to manufacture its proprietary TRISO-X fuel. The company aims to come up with a complete portfolio to deliver scalable and secure power to meet the rising energy demand.
Nuclear Nuclear Energy Nuclear Reactor US US Air Force US DOD X-Energy
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