Alabama’s entire congressional delegation sent a letter Tuesday to U.S. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll to push for Redstone Arsenal to be selected as a site for a microreactor power plant.
The Army’s Project Janus aims to develop and deploy nuclear power technology for military installations independent from the commercial grid. As part of the initiative, the Army selected nine possible locations, and three will be selected by mid-2026. Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville is one of the potential sites.
“The installation’s core mission areas include space operations and missile defense, RDT&E, intelligence, and homeland defense, which are among the nation’s most critical, making the energy resilience provided by the MPP essential for uninterrupted operations,” the letter reads.
Redstone Arsenal is home to nearly 46,000 workers and houses NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, FBI Redstone and U.S. Space Command alongside the Army.
“North Alabama is ready to support this pilot program, and I will continue working to ensure Redstone remains at the top of the list,” Rep. Dale Strong, R-Huntsville, who led the letter, said in a statement.
A nuclear microreactor is small enough to be transported by truck and can be assembled in a factory to provide energy in challenging environments, according to the Department of Energy.
The state’s nine federal lawmakers highlighted in the letter how Redstone’s power needs are expected to double by 2030, making the installation an “ideal candidate” for a microreactor power plant.
The letter also argues that Redstone’s 38,000 acres and its 14,700 developable acres alongside its existing infrastructure makes it able to support the needs of the power plant. The delegation also lauded north Alabama’s capabilities, from its educated workforce to Huntsville’s research park to the area’s quality of life.
The other potential sites include Fort Benning, Fort Bragg, Fort Campbell, Fort Drum, Fort Hood, Fort Wainwright, Holston Army Ammunition Plant and Joint Base Lewis-McChord.