Fact orig-030
World Nuclear News (Feb 18, 2026) reports the Ward 250 reactor, without its nuclear fuel, was loaded onto C-17s at March Air Reserve Base in California on February 15, 2026 and flown to Hill Air Force Base, with Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Under Secretary Michael Duffey aboard, for later transfer to the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab. WNN, citing Reuters, says Wright stated fuel would move separately from the Nevada National Security Site. ExecutiveGov describes the same flight as a DOW-DOE partnership. This shows the reactor hardware was in Southern California before it moved to Utah; Valar's June 2026 draft says it was tested at its Hawthorne headquarters (orig-059). See orig-027 for the dispute over whether it was a complete reactor.
- US microreactor transported by air (World Nuclear News, 2026-02-18) news “The 5 MW Ward250 reactor - without its nuclear fuel - was loaded”
- DOW, DOE Partner With Valar Atomics for Transport of 5-Megawatt Nuclear Reactor to Utah (ExecutiveGov, 2026-02-18) news
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