The United States currently operates 96 commercial nuclear reactors at 57 power plants across 28 states, with a combined net summer electricity generating capacity of 98,441 megawatts, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Very little new large scale nuclear capacity has been built in recent decades due to high capital costs and lengthy licensing timelines, prompting a wave of new small modular reactor, or SMR, designs aimed at reducing costs and increasing siting flexibility.

A large scale nuclear unit typically generates between 550 and 1,500 megawatts, while SMRs generate about 300 megawatts or less per unit. Microreactors, a subset of SMRs, generally produce 20 megawatts or less and can operate connected to the grid, independently, or as part of a microgrid. SMR components are largely modular and factory assembled, which developers say could shorten construction timelines compared with traditional reactors.

Federal support for the technology has grown. The Department of Energy's Reactor Pilot Program, launched to expedite testing of advanced reactor designs outside national laboratories, selected nine vendors: Aalo Atomics, Antares Nuclear, Deep Fission, Last Energy, Oklo, Natura Resources, Radiant Industries, Terrestrial Energy, and Valar Atomics.

The U.S. military has also moved to adopt commercial microreactors. The Army's Janus Program has named nine candidate bases, including Fort Benning, Fort Bragg, and Fort Campbell, for potential microreactor siting, while the Air Force is planning its first nuclear microreactor at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration - https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=67584