Overview
- The Department of War has announced plans to site an advanced microreactor at Naval Weapons Station Crane that officials say will be the Navy’s first shore-based reactor and the first power-producing reactor in Indiana.
- The project is being advanced through the Army’s Janus Program with the Navy setting operational requirements and private companies expected to own and operate the factory-built units under federal milestone payments.
- Officials present the microreactor as a mission-assurance measure to keep critical systems running if the commercial grid fails by supplying steady, on-site power for weapons, testing and other base functions.
- Federal, state and local reviews are ongoing to address nuclear safety, physical security, cybersecurity, environmental compliance and coordination with the Energy Department on spent-fuel removal.
- Indiana politicians have publicly backed the plan for jobs and supply-chain benefits, while earlier coverage of Janus noted concerns about program cost, oversight and long-term waste management.