Safe, secure, and reliable energy is essential to the Department of the Air Force (DAF) mission and always will be. As power demands surge and our energy systems become increasingly strained, we’re focused on delivering more resilient, agile, and cost-effective energy resilience solutions that are tailored to each installation’s unique needs.
Advanced nuclear energy technologies , like microreactors, offer on-site electricity and thermal energy generation – including during potential commercial grid outages – which could provide unparalleled operational benefits for military installations and communities in austere locations and beyond.
The DAF Microreactor Pilot was initiated in response to the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act requirement to identify potential locations to site, construct, and operate a microreactor. Additional drivers include the 2021 Executive Orders (EO) 13972 (Promoting Small Modular Reactors for National Defense and Space Exploration) and EO 14154 (Unleashing American Energy), as well as recent 2025 EOs including 14156 (Declaring a National Energy Emergency), and EO 14299 (Deploying Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technologies for National Security).
To implement the pilot, the DAF partnered with DLA Energy Office to execute a 30-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with a third-party vendor, who would construct, own, operate, maintain, and decommission a microreactor licensed by the NRC to deliver electricity and thermal energy to an Air Force or Space Force installation in exchange for the DAF’s long-term purchase of the energy it generates. As a first-of-its-kind technology, the microreactor would have the capability of delivering up to 5 megawatts of electricity directly to the base’s critical infrastructure, improving our operational resilience and energy security and paving a path forward for future energy projects.
The DAF identified Eielson Air Force Base in Fairbanks, Alaska as the preferred site to construct and operate an advanced nuclear microreactor due to the base’s existing infrastructure, geographic location, and critical mission assurance requirements.
In May 2025, the Department of the Air Force, in coordination with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Energy Office, reached a critical milestone in piloting nuclear energy technology with the issuance of a Notice of Intent to Award (NOITA) to Oklo, Inc. If ultimately awarded the contract, the offeror would be required to site, develop, and operate a licensed microreactor facility at a DAF installation selected for site exploration.
This Notice on Intent to Award (NOITA) initiates the negotiation process to potentially award the contract to the offeror, pending their successful completion of the NRC-licensing process.