Power shift! U.S. Army launches Janus Program for nuclear microreactors

[Planetary model of atom]
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The biggest portable generators for the U.S. military these days have an output of about 800 kilowatts. While that might be enough to power major systems, the weapons and radar of the future are changing, and the need for more power is of the essence. There are already serious concerns about energy supply given aging and strained power grids, as well as worries over disruptions like cyberattacks and other malicious forces.

_The solution?_ Going big in the nuclear game by building on Project Pele [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4152912-defense-department-breaks-ground-on-mobile-nuclear-reactor-site]. The newly announced Janus Program aims to supply microreactors to bases by 2028, which would be small enough to move by truck or aircraft. These tiny reactors will generate anywhere up to 20 megawatts of electricity, but more importantly, they will not need to be refueled constantly, yielding power savings and assisting logistics in hard-to-reach areas. It's all aimed at helping keep American forces ready on the home front and across remote locations, as well as maintaining critical base operations on a 24/7 basis. _Trump signs executive orders aiming to expand nuclear power_ [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4452126-trump-signs-executive-orders-aiming-to-expand-nuclear-power-speed-up-reactor-construction]

"Energy is not one sector of the economy. It's the sector of the economy that enables everything," Energy Secretary Chris Wright said at the annual conference of the Association of the United States Army in Washington. "Ultimately, and not in the too far future, you’ll be able to place a reactor at a forward-deployed base, produce multiple megawatts of power, and it'll run for years, potentially decades, without any refueling or any reservicing."

WHO STANDS TO BENEFIT? While the U.S. Army and Energy Department will supply uranium fuel for the program, the microreactors will be owned and operated commercially. That'll open up the industry to BWX Technologies (NYSE:BWXT [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/BWXT]) and other nuclear players, which have seen major share rallies over the past year. Should all go to plan, small nuclear reactors may eventually be licensed to other sectors, like power-hungry data centers powering the artificial intelligence revolution. _The U.S. Must Rebuild Domestic Uranium Enrichment Capacity [https://seekingalpha.com/article/4820180-the-us-must-rebuild-domestic-uranium-enrichment-capacity]_

[Nuclear stock returns]
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