Miles Jamison
BWX Technologies has initiated production of the reactor core for the Pele microreactor at the BWXT Innovation Campus in Lynchburg, Virginia.
What Is the Pele Microreactor?
The company said Thursday that Pele is a 1.5-megawatt demonstration microreactor engineered to provide electricity for up to three years without refueling. The gas-cooled reactor is projected to begin generating electricity by 2028. It will use TRISO nuclear fuel, a high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, fuel designed and manufactured by BWXT to endure extreme heat while minimizing environmental risks. The TRISO fuel will be delivered to the Idaho National Lab in 2025.
The mobile reactor and its systems can be transported using four 20-foot-long shipping containers. This compact design makes it suitable for powering military bases and other installations. It can potentially be utilized for emergency response, rescue operations and providing power to remote locations.
Project Pele Key Partners
The Pele Project, an initiative started in 2016 and led by the Department of Defense’s Strategic Capabilities Office, involves multiple companies and agencies. Rolls-Royce is currently building the power conversion module, which will allow the microreactor to generate electric power consistently in remote or contested environments, while Northrop Grumman is developing the reactor’s control module.
Kate Kelly, president of BWXT Advanced Technologies, said, “This is a tremendous achievement for the BWXT team and for the advancement of groundbreaking nuclear energy technology as a reliable, resilient source of electricity and heat for multiple applications.”
