US Navy selects Radiant's 1 MW Kaleidos microreactor for Crane site

The US Navy selected Radiant's Kaleidos microreactor for deployment at Naval Weapons Station Crane, Indiana, Radiant said on October 22. Radiant has already been selected to partner with the US Army and US Air Force on their microreactor deployment programs. Radiant said it is the only company selected by all three US military departments.

Kaleidos is a factory-built 1 MW high-temperature gas-cooled transportable microreactor. Each unit provides up to five years of power before refuelling across a 20-year life, and requires no cooling water, no major excavation and no extensive on-site construction.

In September the US Department of War announced plans to install a commercially owned and operated micromodular reactor at Crane under the Janus Program, launched a year ago. Under that plan, the Crane plant is to be the Navy's first shore-based advanced micromodular reactor and the first power-producing nuclear reactor in Indiana.

The project will advance through design refinement, prototype testing, environmental review, site preparation and regulatory coordination before deployment, Radiant said. Radiant will work with the Navy, Army, Defense Innovation Unit, NRC and other partners, with technical expertise and support from the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.

Kaleidos is undergoing testing at Idaho National Laboratory's DOME facility. The Department of Energy awarded it a full year's exclusive access to the facility after a competitive selection process.