Feasibility of Nuclear Power on U.S. Military Installations

The commercialization of smaller nuclear plants that provide competitively priced electricity with reduced capital costs and that allow for smaller incremental additions of new generating capacity can greatly enhance the affordability of nuclear power and offer opportunities to introduce nuclear power to a broader spectrum of domestic and international customers. Interest in SMRs has grown dramatically among both small and large utilities in the United States as they begin to anticipate the need for new generating capacity, especially from clean energy sources, and the need to replace the older fossil-fueled plants.

A review of the power demands of U.S. military installations led us to focus on our analysis on the class of reactors discussed in the preliminary note. In considering whether small modular reactors are a feasible energy alternative on U.S. military installations, we focus on the following three questions:

• Could nuclear power plants contribute to DoD missions?
• What are the significant issues related to safety, certification, licensing, construction, and operations?
• Could a nuclear power plant on a military installation be constructed and operated in a cost effective manner?