The Department of Defense (DoD) has a plan. It wants to build a fourth-generation transportable nuclear reactor for its military campaigns. Project Pele is already underway and aims to design, build, and test a prototype in no more than five years. The DoD has the support it needs to move this project forward: The Idaho National Laboratory is already building the reactor.
Nuclear power specialist BWXT Advanced Technologies is behind the project. Although reactor construction is underway, the final assembly will begin in February 2026. This is probably the date when all the components of this machine will be ready. An important note: The U.S. is developing other fourth-generation nuclear reactors, such as NuScale’s Small Modular Reactors. However, Project Pele will likely be the first to come online.
One of the DoD’s requirements is that this reactor be easily transportable—it wants to use it in military operations. When it's ready, four containers will transport the prototype to the Idaho National Laboratory for testing. After that, it will remain in the testing phase for at least three years to ensure it works properly and safely.
Fourth-Generation Reactors Shape the Immediate Future of Nuclear Power
Physicists and engineers involved in developing fourth-generation fission reactors are working to propose new designs that may be conceptually different from those of previous generations. However, the requirements for these new nuclear power plants are clearly defined. The first is to achieve the highest possible level of sustainability. These facilities must maximize fuel use to generate energy, reduce the amount of radioactive waste generated during the process, and manage it as efficiently as possible.
Safety and reliability must be high enough to minimize the likelihood of damage to the reactor core.
The second requirement concerns the economic investment needed to start and maintain a nuclear power plant. This expenditure must be as low as possible to align with other energy sources and reduce the financial risk. The third and final requirement is that safety and reliability must be high enough to minimize the likelihood of damage to the reactor core. Emergency measures outside the nuclear power plant shouldn’t be necessary in case of an accident.
The requirements introduced by fourth-generation nuclear power plants, also known as Generation IV reactors, are ambitious because they aim to eliminate many shortcomings of previous designs. In this scenario, China is one step ahead. The world’s first Generation IV reactor began commercial operation in January of this year.
It’s a small modular reactor of Chinese origin known as the High-Temperature Reactor-Pebble Bed Module (HTR-PM). This reactor uses Helium as a coolant and graphite as a moderator. The Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Plant in Shandong province houses the HTR-PM.
Image | Idaho National Laboratory
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