Four nuclear startups race to bring microreactors to Alaska by 2029

Four advanced nuclear companies told an Alaska energy conference they are racing to deploy microreactors in the state by decade's end, with the first electricity flowing as soon as 2027. The pitch: portable reactors that can power military bases, mining camps, and industrial sites without diesel trucks or grid hookups.

The timeline is aggressive. Radiant Nuclear ships its demonstration unit to Idaho National Laboratory this year for full-power testing, then deploys its first commercial reactor in 2026. Antares flips the switch on a 300-kilowatt unit in 2027 and scales to 1 megawatt shortly after. Applied Atomics is designing 100-megawatt modules for the Railbelt to stabilize gas prices and support industrialization. NuCube joined the Department of Energy's Launch Pad program for expedited licensing and built its 1.2-megawatt design specifically for Alaska remote sites.

The military is already in. Antares won an Air Force contract for Joint Base San Antonio with a 2030 deadline. Oklo is targeting 2030 for a 5-megawatt reactor at Eielson Air Force Base to back up the coal plant. The Defense Innovation Unit picked eight firms in April for installation microreactor contracts.

"Between now and 2029, all of our reactors, they're portable, fully integrated systems, will be deployed to government customers," Ara Krikorian, head of business development at Radiant Nuclear, said. "Maybe a military base or two in Alaska, hopefully."

Alaska cleared the regulatory path in 2024 by adopting rules to streamline state approvals for communities seeking nuclear microreactors. My read is the companies see Alaska as proof-of-concept terrain: if the technology works in remote, cold, diesel-dependent sites here, it works anywhere.

Paul Keutelian, chief technology officer at Applied Atomics, said adding nuclear load could stabilize gas costs and complement Alaska gas development. The company is targeting industrial off-takers, data centers, and communities on the Railbelt. "Alaska has a lot of natural resources, and there is an opportunity by adding load growth to take those resources and turn them into Alaskan products," Keutelian said.

Thomas Mancinelli, head of strategy and policy at Antares, said the company expects to beat the Air Force's 2030 deadline. "We think we can go faster than that, and we're determined to do so," Mancinelli said. Antares was founded in 2023, raised over $140 million, and holds about $13 million in federal contracts. The company received a Department of Energy license in April for a low-power criticality test and expects to meet the July 4 deadline.