The U. S. Department of Defense, in coordination with the Defense Innovation Unit(DIU) and the Department of the Air Force, has signed a strategic agreement with X-energy Reactor Company to advance the development of its commercial XENITH micro-reactor. This collaboration seeks to strengthen the energy resilience of critical infrastructure and military bases through the use of advanced nuclear technologies.
Advanced nuclear energy and the XENITH commercial microreactor
This project is part of the ANPI(Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations) program, a federal initiative designed to accelerate the deployment of micro reactors at military installations. Under this agreement, X-energy will be able to rapidly advance the design of XENITH, its high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, with the goal of initiating the pre-licensing process with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
XENITH was originally developed as part of Project Pele, a Pentagon development to provide mobile micro-reactors to ensure autonomous and continuous power in remote or vulnerable locations.
The modular and simplified design of the XENITH allows for quick installation, reduced maintenance and reliable operation, even under extreme conditions. These features make it the ideal modular reactorXENITH’s modular design allows it to power defense infrastructures that require uninterrupted energy supply. In addition, its scalability makes it a viable alternative also for industrial applications and isolated grids.
Together with XENITH, the company continues to develop its Xe-100 modular reactor, intended to supply emission-free power at grid scale. It is also continuing to build a manufacturing plant for its nuclear fuel. nuclear fuelTRISO-X.
Source and photo: X-energy
