Work starts on Pele microreactor core

Project Pele was launched in 2019 with the objective of designing, building, and demonstrating a prototype mobile nuclear reactor within five years. The initiative is led by the Department of Defense's Strategic Capabilities Office, which is working in collaboration with the US Department of Energy (DOE), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the US Army Corps of Engineers, as well as with industry partners.

BWXT Advanced Technologies and X-energy LLC were subsequently selected to develop a final design for a prototype mobile high-temperature gas reactor using high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel under the Project Pele initiative. BWXT was contracted in June 2022 to build a prototype 1.5 MWe microreactor. The contractor team also includes critical roles played by Northrop Grumman, Rolls Royce Liberty Works, and Torch Technologies. The fuel for the reactor will be produced at BWXT's facilities using material from the DOE's highly-enriched uranium inventory.

BWXT has now announced the start of work on the reactor core.

_{A rendering of the Pele microreactor (Image: BWXT)}

"We are proud to develop and deliver the Pele microreactor for the benefit of our armed forces," said BWXT Advanced Technologies President Kate Kelly. "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."

The prototype reactor facility is designed to be transported within four 20-foot shipping containers, and tested at Idaho National Laboratory's (INL's) Critical Infrastructure Test Range Complex. The technology is expected to begin producing electricity in 2028.

BWXT said it has completed fabricating the TRISO nuclear fuel for the reactor and will ship it to INL in the months ahead.

Northrop Grumman is providing the control module for the reactor, while Rolls-Royce is developing the power conversion module at its Liberty Works facility in Indianapolis, Indiana.