The Air Force nuclear microreactor at Eielson
The Air Force intends to award Oklo a 30 year fixed price power purchase agreement for a microreactor delivering up to 5 megawatts to Eielson Air Force Base outside Fairbanks. Oklo would build, own and operate it, and the contract is signed only after Oklo obtains a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
How the public reaches this
Contract negotiation is private and the Air Force runs no comment period. The reactor can't be built without a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license, and that review is the room where the public gets a formal say.
Timeline
Sources
Every document a fact on this page was checked against.
How this decision moved
One dated line per material change, oldest first.
2026-08-06 Tracked after a reader asked for it, and the reader's own figure did not survive the check. The Air Force program page for the pilot states the capacity, the 30 year power purchase agreement and the licensing condition, and it states no operational date at all. A December 31st, 2027 goal has circulated widely; that comes from the fiscal 2019 defense authorization, which directed that a licensed microreactor be operating on a Defense Department installation by 2027, and it is a statutory goal for the program rather than a commitment for this reactor. A deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force was separately reported hoping the reactor would run by 2030. So the honest position is that no operational date is published, and this entry will not carry one until the Air Force sets one. The notice of intent to award reinstated Oklo after an earlier award was rescinded following a bid protest.
2026-08-12 Re-verified against the base's own program page. No contract has been awarded. The notice of intent to award opened negotiation with Oklo and the award still waits on the company finishing Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing. The pilot is sized at up to 5 megawatts for critical infrastructure on the base, under a 30-year power purchase agreement.
2026-08-16 Re-verified against the Air Force's own announcement. No contract has been awarded. The notice of intent to award opened negotiation toward a thirty year firm fixed price contract, contingent on the company completing Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing, and the Department of the Air Force and the commission are preparing an environmental analysis as the next step.
2026-08-20 Re-verified against the base's own microreactor page. The notice of intent to award to Oklo, issued in May 2025, still has not become a contract, and the page ties any award to the company completing Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing. The page sizes the plant at up to 5 megawatts delivered to base infrastructure. Its most recent quarterly newsletter is dated June 2026.
2026-08-25 Re-verified against the base's own microreactor page. The notice of intent to award to Oklo is still not a contract. The page says it begins negotiation toward a possible award, and that any award depends on the company completing Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing, so the pilot remains pre-award.
2026-08-29 Re-verified against the base's own microreactor page. The notice of intent to award to Oklo is still not a contract. The page says the notice starts a negotiation to potentially award, pending the company completing Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing, and it sizes the plant at up to 5 megawatts delivered to the base's critical infrastructure. The most recent quarterly newsletter is still dated June 2026.
2026-09-02 Checked and unchanged, re-verified against the American Nuclear Society's account of the June 2025 announcement. The notice of intent to award to Oklo is still a notice and not a contract. The 30 year firm fixed price agreement is signed only once Oklo holds a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license, and an environmental analysis is the next step.
2026-09-06 Checked and unchanged, re-verified against Air and Space Forces Magazine's account of the announcement. What the Air Force issued is a notice of intent to award and not a signed contract. Oklo would build and operate a 5 megawatt microreactor at Eielson, the price and the rate the Air Force pays for power are still to be settled in negotiation, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval remains a step ahead of it.
2026-09-10 Checked and unchanged. The notice of intent to award Oklo a 30 year firm fixed price agreement for up to 5 megawatts at Eielson is still a notice rather than a signed contract. Environmental analysis, contract negotiation and a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license all remain ahead of it, and the Air Force has put the reactor in service before 2030 without naming a nearer date.
2026-09-14 Checked and unchanged. The base's own microreactor page refused an automated request today, so the status was re-read against World Nuclear News and the American Nuclear Society. What stands is a notice of intent to award issued by Defense Logistics Agency Energy, not a signed contract. Oklo would own and operate a 5 megawatt reactor at Eielson and the Air Force would buy the power under a 30 year fixed price agreement, conditional on a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license and on the environmental analysis now under way.
2026-09-18 Checked and unchanged, and checked this time against the licensing record rather than the base page, which refused an automated read. The notice of intent to award Oklo a 30 year firm fixed price agreement for up to 5 megawatts at Eielson is still a notice and not a signed contract, and the contract follows a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license. The commission's own record for the Aurora combined license application shows it was submitted on March 11th, 2020, accepted for review on June 5th, 2020, and denied on January 6th, 2022 for failure to supply information, and that application names Idaho National Laboratory rather than Alaska. No license covering an Eielson unit is on the record.
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Alaska AI Docket, The Air Force nuclear microreactor at Eielson.
Tracked since August 6th, last verified
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Questions about this decision
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What is The Air Force nuclear microreactor at Eielson?
The Air Force intends to award Oklo a 30 year fixed price power purchase agreement for a microreactor delivering up to 5 megawatts to Eielson Air Force Base outside Fairbanks. Oklo would...
Who decides The Air Force nuclear microreactor at Eielson?
Department of the Air Force with Defense Logistics Agency Energy, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the license
Can I comment on The Air Force nuclear microreactor at Eielson?
Contract negotiation is private and the Air Force runs no comment period. The reactor can't be built without a Nuclear Regulatory Commission license, and that review is the room where the public gets a formal say.
Where is The Air Force nuclear microreactor at Eielson?
Eielson Air Force Base, Fairbanks North Star Borough
Has The Air Force nuclear microreactor at Eielson been decided?
It is pending a decision. Tracked after a reader asked for it, and the reader's own figure did not survive the check. The Air Force program page for the pilot states the capacity, the 30 year...
What happens next with The Air Force nuclear microreactor at Eielson?
No further date is published. It is pending a decision and the record is checked against its source every day.
What changed on The Air Force nuclear microreactor at Eielson?
Tracked after a reader asked for it, and the reader's own figure did not survive the check. The Air Force program page for the pilot states the capacity, the 30 year...
What kind of decision is The Air Force nuclear microreactor at Eielson?
A procurement, decided by Department of the Air Force with Defense Logistics Agency Energy, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the license.
When did The Air Force nuclear microreactor at Eielson start?
Tracked since August 6th, 44 days ago. The earliest date on its record is June 11th, 2025.
Where can I read the sources for The Air Force nuclear microreactor at Eielson?
U.S. Air Force, Eielson Air Force Base, American Nuclear Society, Nuclear Newswire, Air and Space Forces Magazine, World Nuclear News, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Every one is listed with its date on the decision page.
Beats
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