HEGSETH'S KULT OF WAR
INL advances Department of War’s Project Pele demonstration microreactor with first TRISO fuel delivery
DOE/Idaho National Laboratory
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INL operations staff members prepare to unload casks containing TRISO fuel that will power Project Pele. The project is led by the Department of War’s Strategic Capabilities Office in partnership with BWXT, the Department of Energy and INL.
view moreCredit: Idaho National Laboratory
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — The recent delivery of advanced nuclear fuel to the Idaho National Laboratory’s Transient Reactor Test Facility marks a major milestone for Project Pele, a first-of-its-kind mobile microreactor prototype designed to provide resilient power for military operations.
The fuel, known as tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) particle fuel, is made from uranium, carbon and oxygen, formed into a small kernel. This kernel is coated in multiple layers — including silicon carbide — that make it extremely durable under high heat, radiation, and corrosive conditions. Thousands of these poppy seed-sized particles are combined into compact fuel forms used in advanced reactors like the one being developed under Project Pele by the Department of War’s Strategic Capabilities Office.
The first delivery of TRISO fuel for the future demonstration reactor was celebrated today by INL, the Strategic Capabilities Office, the U.S. Army, BWX Technologies Inc. (BWXT), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) who are collaborating on the fuel project.
“This milestone reflects years of dedicated effort by the Office of Nuclear Energy’s Advanced Gas Reactor TRISO Fuel Qualification Program to fabricate and qualify TRISO fuel using world-class capabilities at INL’s Advanced Test Reactor and Materials and Fuels Complex, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory — capabilities that exist nowhere else in the world,” said John Wagner, INL director. “That investment is now enabling Project Pele to move forward with the speed and confidence our national security demands to accelerate American innovation and demonstrate the leadership that will define this era of nuclear energy.”
“We’re thrilled to see the Project Pele microreactor design continue to make forward progress,” added principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Mike Goff. “This is a great example of how we can accelerate innovation in advanced nuclear fuels and technologies through collaborative partnerships.”
The event featured remarks from Department of Energy, the Department of War’s Strategic Capabilities Office and BWXT leaders, along with a ceremonial signing of a commemorative photograph. It also highlighted the collaborative efforts of federal and private-sector partners in advancing reliable energy solutions for defense applications.
“The completion of the production and delivery of the first batch of TRISO fuel is an important milestone for Project Pele, and it further accelerates the administration’s objectives to enable private sector investment, innovation, development and use of advanced nuclear technologies,” said David Schurr, the Strategic Capabilities Office’s project manager for Pele.
“This is the first TRISO microreactor fuel delivered at its final destination,” added Jeff Waksman, principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment. “Project Pele is a transformational leap toward Gen-IV nuclear power, and the Army’s Janus Program will follow on to deliver affordable, reliable, commercial nuclear power to ensure that our critical infrastructure has power even if the electric grid is disrupted.
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