Ward small nuclear reactor successfully airlifted from California to Utah

The US Departments of Energy and Defense transported a small nuclear reactor by air for the first time on Sunday. The purpose of the air transport from California to Utah was to demonstrate the potential for rapid deployment of this technology for both civilian and military purposes. TASR informs about it according to a Reuters report.

• The US airlifted a small nuclear reactor for the first time.
• The aim of the move was to demonstrate the rapid deployment of technology.
• The Ward modular reactor was transported without nuclear fuel.
• The microreactor will produce energy for approximately 5,000 households.
• Skeptics point to the still high costs of this technology.

The transport was carried out in cooperation with Valar Atomics, and the cargo was its nuclear-free Ward Modular Reactor. US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Deputy Defense Secretary Michael Duffey were also on board the plane heading from California to Hill Air Force Base. Both described the transfer as a breakthrough in the field of nuclear energy and military logistics in the USA.

Economical microreactors

The relocated microreactor is slightly larger than a van. According to the director of the Valar company, it can produce five megawatts of electricity, which is enough for about 5,000 households. It will be launched in July with an initial output of 100 kilowatts.

Reuters reminds that the administration of President Donald Trump considers small nuclear reactors as one of several ways to expand the ways of energy production in the US. Proponents of this technology promote them as sources of energy that can be moved to remote and remote locations. They can therefore become an alternative to diesel generators that require frequent fuel deliveries. Skeptics argue that the price of energy produced in this way is still too high.