A Say on 5 Megawatts at Eielson, Until September 30th
You have until September 30th to comment on site work for a 5 megawatt microreactor near wetlands at Eielson Air Force Base.
The deck
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The story
What's the work? Clearing, digging, filling and grading near Spruce Lake. The wetlands are why federal law requires the ask.
Who would own it? Oklo. The Air Force would be the buyer.
Is this the data center plan? No. The same base offered land for AI data centers in a separate solicitation that took developer proposals until June 29th. One federal test for a qualifying data center is more than 100 megawatts of new load.
A wetland map and five spots offered to developers. Reactor, coal plant and data center sized in 5 megawatt blocks. Murkowski and two utilities on power, then the comment address.
What does someone who knows the ground by Spruce Lake see that a July wetland delineation could miss?
What we verified
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Oklo said it was issued a Notice of Intent to Award by Defense Logistics Agency Energy on behalf of the Department of the Air Force for the Eielson project.
Under the intended award, Oklo would design, construct, own and operate the plant and supply electricity and heat to Eielson under a long-term power purchase agreement.
Oklo describes the Eielson project as the Department of the Air Force's microreactor pilot.
Oklo submitted a combined license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its Aurora reactor at Idaho National Laboratory on March 11th, 2020.
The NRC denied Oklo's Aurora combined license application for failure to supply information on January 6th, 2022.
The NRC accepted Oklo's Aurora application for review on June 5th, 2020.
The Air Force solicitation covers AI data center development at Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson, Eielson Air Force Base and Clear Space Force Station.
The Air Force AI data center lease solicitation is numbered AFCEC-26-R-0006.
The AI data center lease solicitation was posted on April 10th.
Proposals for the AI data center leases were due June 29th at 5 p.m. Eastern.
The original proposal deadline was May 29th before it was extended to June 29th.
The AI data center lease solicitation was set to archive on July 14th.
The Air Force issued the data center request as a Request for Lease Proposal to lease underutilized land at fair market value under 10 U.S.C. 2667.
Executive Order 14318 counts a data center as a qualifying project when its sponsor commits at least $500 million in capital expenditures.
Executive Order 14318 also counts a data center as a qualifying project when it adds more than 100 megawatts of new electric load.
Rep. Nick Begich introduced the DATA Act of 2026 as the House companion to Senate legislation led by Sen. Tom Cotton.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas joined Begich in introducing the House DATA Act.
Begich said the DATA Act lets manufacturers run on fully self-contained grid-of-one power systems so households don't subsidize massive new energy demand.
The Air Force is asking for public input on a plan to begin work in an area of Eielson Air Force Base where a small nuclear reactor would be located.
Public comments on the Eielson microreactor site must reach the Eielson Public Affairs Office no later than September 30th.
Comments can be emailed to 354fw.pa.publicaffairs@us.af.mil.
Comments can be mailed to 354 Broadway St., Suite 15A, Eielson AFB, AK 99702-2299.
The Air Force's preferred microreactor site is near wetlands, so federal law requires the agency to ask for public comment first.
The site is near Spruce Lake, east of the south end of the Eielson main runway, according to Air Force officials.
Air Force officials say preconstruction work would include vegetation clearing, soil excavation, and filling and grading to level the site.
Air Force officials said site data gathering for the draft Environmental Assessment, including wetland delineation, was completed in July.
According to KUAC, the Air Force expects the draft Environmental Assessment to be available to the public late next year.
Air Force officials anticipate the microreactor project will not require a full Environmental Impact Statement.
If only a draft Environmental Assessment is needed, Air Force officials hope to have the microreactor built and operational in 2030.
The Eielson microreactor would be rated at 5 megawatts.
Eielson would be the first U.S. military installation powered at least partly by a microreactor if the project proceeds as planned.
KUAC reports the microreactor would provide backup electricity and heat for Eielson.
KUAC reports that a 20 megawatt coal-fired heat and power plant has supplied Eielson since the 1950s.
Air and Space Forces Magazine reported that the existing Eielson coal-fired plant has a maximum capacity of 23 megawatts.
The Air Force could award Oklo a 30 year firm fixed price contract for the Eielson power.
The contract award to Oklo would come only after a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is obtained.
Under the plan, Oklo will own the reactor while the Air Force buys the power it generates.
Defense Logistics Agency Energy selected Oklo, a California nuclear technology firm, for the Eielson microreactor on behalf of the Air Force.
In 2025 Deputy Assistant Secretary Balkus told Air and Space Forces Magazine she hoped the Eielson reactor would be complete before 2030.
The military has offered to lease about 4,700 acres of government land in Alaska to private companies for data centers.
As of mid-September no Alaska military data center projects had been awarded.
KUAC reports the Pentagon wants up to a dozen new military data centers near Anchorage, Healy and Fairbanks.
The Air Force invited private companies to build AI data centers at 12 locations across Alaska.
The lease solicitation identifies five potential data center spots in the Eielson area.
According to a resident quoted by the News-Miner, one proposed parcel is less than a mile from North Pole Middle School.
The three Eielson-area parcels outside the base fence line connect to the Golden Valley Electric Association grid.
A Salcha resident raised concern about data center heat affecting surrounding permafrost.
Salcha resident Sarah Hollister told KUAC that the 24/7 hum of a data center shows the country has lost its way.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski told KUAC she is not a proponent of data centers at JBER or Interior installations because Alaska's energy base is insecure.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly is calling for a data center moratorium but can't direct the Pentagon on military land.
An Air Force spokesperson said data center contractors will be required to show how they would reduce impacts and risk to surrounding communities.
Chugach Electric and Golden Valley Electric told ADN that with Cook Inlet gas dwindling they can't produce enough electricity for large data centers.
The Alaska Current reports the DATA Act would let data centers run their own energy grids separate from regular utilities.
Independent congressional candidate Bill Hill joined other independents in Washington on Thursday, September 24th, to call on Congress to return and tackle data centers.
Hill spoke from Capitol Hill alongside Nebraska Senate candidate Dan Osborn and North Dakota Senate candidate Brian Bengs.
Hill said gasoline in his hometown costs nearly $9 a gallon.
Hill said some outlying communities are going to pay $15 a gallon for heating fuel.
If approved, the University of Alaska's draft AI policy would require all three campuses to have an AI plan for students, faculty and staff.
University of Alaska leadership plans to submit a finalized AI policy draft for approval at the November regents meeting.
UA chief information technology officer Ben Shier asked how the university ensures data privacy and protection and provides monitoring.
As of mid-September the university had not scheduled dates for student listening sessions on the AI policy.
The University of Alaska Statewide AI Symposium ran September 25th to 27th at the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building in Anchorage.
Beats
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