Malmstrom Air Force Base is one of two bases selected as potential locations for nuclear microreactors under the federal Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations, or ANPI, program.
The Air Force and the Defense Innovation Unit selected Malmstrom and Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado.
“By advancing the use of next-generation nuclear energy, the [Air Force] is strengthening the energy security of our power projection platforms and contributing to long-term national energy leadership,” Nancy Balkus, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for Infrastructure, Energy and Environment, said in a release. “This initiative represents a critical step in ensuring the department remains the world’s premier Air Force and Space Force.”
It’s a step in ensuring the Air Force can execute critical missions without interruption, thereby strengthening national security, according to a release.
Officials from the Air Force Pacific Northwest National Laboratory conducted data and on-site analysis to evaluate environment, nuclear safety and energy integration.
Malmstrom and Buckley were selected as preferred locations to site an ANPI reactor “due to their utility infrastructure, land availability and critical mission requirements,” according to the Air Force.
Advanced nuclear reactors deployed under ANPI will be used to power the installation’s critical facilities and missions and will not be connected to a commercial grid, an Air Force spokesperson told The Electric.
The ANPI program is a partnership between the Air Force and DIU that aims “to deploy advanced, contractor-owned and operated nuclear microreactors on [Air Force] installations in partnership with commercial reactor companies. It is anticipated those companies will site, license, construct, operate and decommission the microreactors,” according to the Air Force.
The bases will be paired with a vendor that best fits its energy needs and the Air Force expects the reactors will be deployed by 2030.
The ANPI program is separate from the Sentinel project.
An Air Force spokesperson told The Electric that the program’s “success depends on strong community trust built through proactive engagement and transparent communication, reinforcing the Department of the Air Force’s commitment to public health and safety while advancing nuclear technologies that can guide future military and civilian use.”
She said that program leaders will engage the local communities for discussion and coordination between federal partners and Tribal, state and local representatives.
Public participation and review for these projects may occur during the Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing and National Environmental Policy Act review processes.
The Air Force is currently working with the DIU and selected vendors as part of a federal procurement process through which the vendors will develop and submit designs for approval, according to the Air Force spokeswoman.
Final basing decisions depend upon the successful completion of environmental and licensing processes.
This ANPI program is separate from the microreactor pilot program at Eielson AFB in Alaska, which is a stand-alone project to demonstrate the feasibility and operational benefits of a microreactor at a single installation, according to the Air Force.
