Overview
- The Pentagon announced Wednesday that Naval Weapons Station Crane in Indiana will host the Navy’s first shore‑based advanced micro modular reactor with a target to be installed and operating no later than Sept. 30, 2028 under the Army’s Janus Program.
- Janus has already awarded prototype contracts to five private firms with up to $2.2 billion in milestone payments to accelerate commercial microreactor designs toward military demonstration.
- The reactor will be owned and operated by a private company and is intended to provide continuous, grid‑independent power to sustain mission‑critical work at Crane.
- Officials say site selection prioritized the ability to meet the aggressive deadline and strong state cooperation, and they expect the project to create skilled jobs and bolster the U.S. nuclear supply chain.
- Key technical, regulatory and waste‑management questions remain unresolved and will undergo federal, state and local safety and environmental reviews, with close attention on how licensing and spent‑fuel arrangements will be handled next.