NORFOLK, Va. — Aircraft carriers are well-known for providing power at sea, but now the U.S. Navy is trying to use them to provide power on land.
During a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said the Navy plans to transfer power created by the nuclear reactors on a carrier to Naval Station Norfolk.
Watch: May 14 House Armed Services Committee hearing
“This summer, Norfolk Naval Base is going to be powered from an aircraft carrier,” Cao said.
He did not specify which carrier will be used. News 3 reached out to the Navy and a spokesperson said it will be a Ford-class carrier. As of May 2026, the Norfolk-based USS Gerald R. Ford was the only Ford-class carrier in operation.
"The Department of the Navy is executing a multi-pronged strategy to ensure the delivery of firm, baseload power to our installations for energy resilience and mission assurance. One line of effort in the strategy is to deliver power from a Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to a compatible shore installation, to demonstrate the capability to meet emergent, mission critical needs. An initial test of this capability is being planned for later this year at Naval Station Norfolk."
Cao said this is just the tip of the iceberg.
“Imagine having this power generation from within the base, that we can even export the energy to the surrounding area and use that as a working capital fund to, now, fix our bases,” Cao explained.
As of 2026, Virginia had two nuclear reactors but none on military bases.
Watch: Surry power plant marks 50 years of producing nuclear energy
Dominion Energy provides power to the area surrounding Naval Station Norfolk, so News 3 reached out to Dominion to try to find out if the company would be involved in the process of exporting power from a nuclear reactor on base and how the power might be used.
Late Thursday afternoon, a company spokesperson said the company declined to comment.
Watch: 'What a testament:' Hegseth meets sailors, families as USS Gerald R. Ford CSG returns to Norfolk
Nuclear reactors could be used for more than just power, though.
“The energy that’s produced from these, we can also use it for a four-stage distiller making fresh, potable water,” said Cao.
Virginia Congressman Rob Wittman, who represents part of Hampton Roads, brought up the topic at the hearing on Capitol Hill. He envisions nuclear power on bases also being used to help power data centers.
Watch: Chesapeake city council begins process to create data center guidelines for the city
“The future of what we need to make sure we win the race in AI is going to center around data. You want to have your power generation source close to where your data centers are," Wittman said. "There’s a need for the military for that power generation to have organic capabilities on a base to make sure we’re not at peril with the larger grid if somebody tries to take it out and, then, making sure we have our own organic capability with the data that we need."
Wittman added Congress will be “laser-focused” in 2026 on getting a pilot program for nuclear reactors on bases to be part of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act.
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