To the editor:
Recently, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that the Naval Weapons Station Crane will house the Navy's first advanced nuclear microreactor. But what does this mean for southwestern Indiana?
Well, it's a massive vote of confidence from the military.
Crane has spent decades building itself into a warfighting innovation hub, and it's getting noticed for its projects and federal approvals.
So what is the project?
A microreactor is a 21st-century take on the nuclear technology you've heard of. It’s a small system designed to generate steady power at a single site for years at a time. The Crane microreactor will create power independently of the commercial grid.
Because the military depends on electricity to run critical systems 24 hours a day, an onsite, dedicated source of power like this makes Crane less vulnerable to potential disruptions.
Putting the Navy's first advanced nuclear microreactor at Crane is a major milestone for southwestern Indiana and a meaningful step forward for how the military powers its installations around the world. This didn’t happen without sustained federal advocacy, and U.S. Sens. Banks and Young, veterans themselves, understand our military's needs and the role Crane can play. Their leadership, alongside U.S. Reps. Erin Houchin and Mark Messmer, as well as Gov. Mike Braun, put Crane in position to be considered for this project.
I look forward to following the reactor's development, and as the next state senator for District 39, I'll support steady growth at Crane so that Indiana continues contributing to America's national security and the region's economic development.
Jeff Ellington of Bloomfield, Indiana, is the Republican nominee for Indiana State Senate District 39, which covers Sullivan, Knox, Greene, Martin, Daviess and Owen counties.
