①A power developer in Texas recently made a bold proposal: to convert nuclear reactors from U.S. Ny warships into power supply facilities to provide electricity to the U.S. grid; ②This move comes as the Trump administration seeks massive energy resources amid the artificial intelligence boom.
Cailian Press, December 25 (Edited by Xiaoxiang) A power developer in Texas recently made a bold proposal: to convert nuclear reactors from U.S. Ny warships into power supply facilities to provide electricity to the U.S. grid. This move comes as the Trump administration seeks massive energy resources amid the artificial intelligence boom.
According to a letter submitted to the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing, HGP Intelligent Energy has applied to repurpose two decommissioned nal reactors for a planned data center project in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. As part of the White House's "Genesis Initiative," the project is expected to provide approximately 450-520 megawatts of power around the clock, sufficient to meet the electricity needs of about 360,000 households.
Both U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines are equipped with two reactors: the A4W model produced by Westinghouse or the S8G model manufactured by General Electric. The proposal shows that the cost of retrofitting two reactors would be approximately $1 million to $4 million per megawatt, just a fraction of the cost of building new reactors.
HGP’s plan includes provisions for revenue-sharing with the government and the establishment of a decommissioning fund. According to the letter, the developer plans to apply to the Department of Energy for loan guarantees. The proposal indicates that the project will require approximately $1.8 billion to $2.1 billion in private capital for constructing supporting infrastructure to adapt the reactors for civilian use. The first phase of the project is expected to be completed as early as 2029.
In a statement, HGP CEO Gregory Forero said, "We already know how to do this safely and at scale, and we are fortunate to he a solid base of investors and partners who share our vision."
Notably, the U.S. Ny is currently the largest user of nuclear energy in the United States, operating over 100 active nuclear reactors as of 2021—more than the total number of reactors in all U.S. nuclear power plants combined.
Theoretically, against the backdrop of surging electricity demand, utilizing existing nuclear reactors could be one of the fastest ways to supplement baseload power for the grid. Whether traditional large reactors or next-generation small modular reactors, new construction projects typically take several years, as does building large natural gas-fired power plants.
However, repurposing military reactors for civilian use remains an uncharted territory.
Industry insiders point out that nal reactors differ significantly from conventional commercial reactors, most notably in their extremely high uranium enrichment levels (over 90%), compared to less than 5% for traditional reactors.
Beyond the risk of weapons-grade uranium proliferation, concerns also arise regarding the operation of reactors after their removal from submarines or aircraft carriers. These reactors are either decommissioned due to aging and inability to function as designed, or removed following the retirement of their parent vessels. Operating reactors in an aged state may lead to numerous challenges, including issues related to reactor physics and material integrity. Even loading low-enriched fuel into a reactor designed for highly enriched fuel could prove problematic—issues with core geometry alone might result in operational malfunctions.
Nevertheless, the proposal to involve the U.S. Nal Nuclear Propulsion Program in revitalizing the nuclear industry may indeed hold value. As one of the most successful nuclear programs in history, the U.S. Nal Nuclear Propulsion Program boasts over 7,500 reactor-years of safe operation. Its expertise in reactor plant construction and operation could bring multiple benefits to the commercial nuclear industry.