Nuclear Power

This project is revolutionizing DoW operations by spearheading innovations in nuclear power in advanced nuclear reactors and radioisotope power systems (RPS) for Joint operations and across all domains. As a strategic priority for the Administration, nuclear power is poised to transform energy surety by: • Unleashing Unprecedented Energy Density: Increasing the energy density of existing fossil fuel systems by approximately 1,000,000x, enabling longer mission durations and reduced logistical dependencies. • Extending Power Lifetimes in Extreme Environments: Dramatically extending power system lifetime in remote and austere locations, ensuring reliable power for critical operations in challenging environments. • Reducing the Risk and Burden on Personnel: Decreasing operational risk and burden on personnel compared to traditional power systems (e.g., chemical batteries and fossil fuels), lessoning high risk re-supply logistics and freeing up military resources for other mission-critical tasks. The nuclear power portfolio's investments are focused on making nuclear technologies safer, lighter, more secure, more efficient, more economical, and more operational for the DoW. To achieve these goals, this project is driving technology improvements in the supply chain and power conversion efficiency of RPS and fission subsystems and components, as well as de-risking complete fission mobile nuclear reactor systems. These technology development efforts include investments in cutting-edge materials like efficient carbon/carbon, shielding optimizations, betavoltaics, alphavoltaics, alpha photovoltaics, Stirling energy conversion technology, and supercritical CO2 energy conversion systems (sCO2). The nuclear power portfolio also funds studies exploring the regulatory needs and warfighter training for safely and efficiently deploying nuclear technologies.