The Department of the Air Force announced Wednesday that Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA) has been selected for a pilot program testing micro nuclear reactors on military installations.
The service has selected JBSA as a site for a nuclear microreactor under the Advanced Nuclear Power for Installations (ANPI) initiative and paired California-based Antares Nuclear to potentially develop and operate a microreactor on a military installation.
“The future of air and space dominance is powered by resilient energy,” said Michael Borders, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations and Environment. “By integrating advanced nuclear technology, we are not just keeping the lights on; we are guaranteeing that our most critical national security missions will never be held at risk by a power outage. This is a pivotal moment for the Department of the Air Force.”
Local leaders are calling it a win for how the project will boost existing missions at a time when JBSA is losing key Army command missions to Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
“The fact that you’re building a nuclear reactor on the base is pretty significant in terms of ensuring that that base and those missions remain where they’re currently located,” said Bexar County Commissioner Grant Moody (Pct3), who co-chairs the Military Transformation Task Force in San Antonio.
The reactor is expected to be installed by 2030. It is not known which of San Antonio’s four major military installations will get the reactor.
In April, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), with the departments of the Army and the Air Force, launched APNI “to ensure U.S. energy dominance,” according to the announcement.
The program allows for the design and construction of on-site microreactor nuclear power systems on some military bases where it supports global operations.
Micro nuclear reactors are small, factory-built and transportable fission reactors designed for remote sites, mining, data centers and military use.
They are designed to fit into a standard flatbed truck or shipping container, and though powerful, are built with safety systems that prevent any potential for overheating or reactor meltdown, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
“Microreactors on installations are a critical first step in delivering energy dominance to the Force,” stated Dr. Andrew Higier, energy portfolio director at DIU. “Tapping into the commercial sector’s rapid advancements in this area is critical due to the significant private investment in this space over the last few years.”
San Antonio is the third city to be selected for the ANPI program. Just last week, the Air Force and DIU announced Buckley Space Force Base in Denver, Colo., and Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Mt., had been selected for microreactors.
DIU awarded contracts to eight private companies, including Antares, to provide commercially available microreactor technology at JBSA and other Department of Defense installations. Those companies are being paired with military installations in the program.
Antares is backed by over $130 million in venture funding and is working on multiple defense contracts in support of critical missions, according to its website.
The ANPI initiative seeks to have at least one advanced nuclear reactor operating on at least one DAF installation by 2030 or sooner. Next steps include siting and environmental analyses as part of the National Environmental Policy Act process.
JBSA officials have been working with the Military Transformation Task Force in San Antonio, a group of senior military commanders and key public officials, to secure the ANPI project.
The task force is led by Moody, Councilwoman Misty Spears (D9) and Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Jeff Webster.
The task force with other local and state leaders have long been working toward and hoping to win the Defense Health Agency for JBSA, which is currently headquartered in Falls Church, Va., and has about 130,000 employees spread out across the country.
Spears said she believes nuclear energy is the future and that San Antonio is uniquely poised for the project.
“Because of our utilities, our military presence, it really helps to have all of these things, and our research capabilities here,” she said. “We’re in a unique position to do this and do it well and lead in this space.”
“It’s the beginning of bigger things,” she added.
Moody said the pilot program is “a wonderful opportunity to harden and provide energy security for JBSA and for some very critical and essential national security missions.”
For three days in late March, JBSA conducted a pre-planned exercise to test readiness for responding to potential severe weather events resulting in widespread power outage.
“This routine exercise allows us to test our continuity of operations plans and critical infrastructure alongside our local community partners, including first responders and utility providers,” said the statement.
But the ANPI program also brings with it benefits to San Antonio beyond local military bases, Moody said. “It definitely has opportunities beyond that, in terms of partnering with CPS [Energy] and seeing how we can leverage this going forward [and the] exploration of additional energy supply,” he said.
Nuclear energy supplies a large portion of San Antonio’s annual electrical requirements through CPS Energy’s South Texas Project in Bay City.
In October, the Trump Administration said Army North and Army South Commands, consolidated as the new consolidated Army Western Hemisphere Command, would be relocated from JBSA-Fort Sam Houston to Fort Bragg, despite efforts to stop the move.
