With energy costs continuing to rise, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, is espousing the potential of nuclear energy as a power source for communities across Alaska.
On March 19 Murkowski discussed nuclear energy potential in Alaska with officials with the U.S. Department of Energy and the Idaho National Laboratory about potential deployment of micro-reactors at Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base. The micro-reactors are being considered over the long term as early proving grounds for advanced nuclear technology.
Murkowski asked during a meeting of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee what practical steps the Department of Energy (DOE) needs to take to ensure that fuel supply does not become a challenge for deployment.
Theodore Garrish, assistant secretary for nuclear energy at DOE, said that agency is currently working through key enrichment milestones and once they are completed the department expects to begin building domestic enrichment facilities. Garrish added that work being done in the Idaho National Laboratory by director John Wagner and his team to authorize these systems is very promising.
“For many remote communities, micro-reactors could be transformative, eliminating the need to transport diesel while providing reliable, long-term, and cost-effective power,” he said. “That’s where we should be focused.”
Wagner said one of the most pressing needs is fuel fabrication capability for initial reactor demonstrations, since early-stage reactors often lack commercial fuel fabrication pathways.
For national security purposes at military installations, as well as remote communities currently relying on diesel, the cost of diesel prices makes continuing reliance on diesel not sustainable, Murkowski said.
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