AI power outage solution is 'decommissioned reactors'? US begins experimental recycling of military nuclear reactors

Source: TokenPost Original Title: Is the Solution to the Power Shortage ‘Decommissioned Reactors’? US Begins Reuse Experiments of Military Nuclear Reactors Original Link: As the demand for electricity in artificial intelligence(AI) data centers surges, a energy development company in Texas, USA, has proposed a unique plan to reuse decommissioned US Navy nuclear propulsion reactors as power sources. In a situation where high-performance, 24-hour power supply is required for private data infrastructure, this approach is gaining attention as a new solution.

This plan is led by HGP Intelligent Energy(HGP Intelligent Energy), which has requested loan guarantees under the government’s energy finance program through an application submitted to the US Department of Energy, under the name ‘CoreHeld Project(CoreHeld Project)’. Specifically, the plan involves installing two decommissioned naval reactors near the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee to secure a large-scale power source for data centers.

The reactors HGP intends to utilize are pressurized water reactors that have provided power to US Navy aircraft carriers and submarines for decades. These facilities, manufactured by Westinghouse(Westinghouse) and General Electric(GE), have proven long-term operational performance and safety, and are built with highly sealed structures, making management more efficient. If this project is realized, it could supply 450 MW and 520 MW of base load power respectively, reliably meeting the increasing electricity demands of AI training and inference tasks.

The estimated investment amount ranges from approximately $1.8 billion to $2.1 billion(about 2.592 trillion to 3.024 trillion won), with about $1 million to $4 million per megawatt expected to be invested. This is considered to be more cost-competitive than constructing new nuclear plants or small modular reactors(SMR). However, regulatory hurdles remain for the actualization of this plan. Military reactors generally use highly enriched fuel, which does not align with the current civilian licensing system of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission(NRC), necessitating regulatory adjustments.

Gregory Forero(Gregory Forero), CEO of HGP, expressed confidence, stating, “We have the expertise to safely and at scale execute this project, and we have already established a foundation with investors and partners.” Recently, as the US power grid is being reorganized around AI computation, cloud companies and infrastructure operators are paying attention to nuclear energy as a constantly available, carbon-neutral energy source. This is emerging as an alternative that can simultaneously address climate change and power stability.

In the investment market, movements reflecting this trend are becoming visible. X-energy(X-energy), developing mini reactors, plans to raise $700 million(about 1.8 trillion won)by November, while Radiant Industries(Radiant Industries), which has introduced mobile and mass-producible micro reactors, has raised over $300 million(about 432 billion won)this month. The future of AI infrastructure power expanding into nuclear energy is expected to reach a critical turning point depending on how regulations, technology, and finance intertwine as a triad.