The future of nuclear energy will be decided in Idaho - The Seattle Times
US Nuclear Energy Revival: Idaho Readies for New Reactor Tests - Bloomberg
The Future of Nuclear Energy Will Be Decided In Idaho
An Idaho lab central to global nuclear energy has waited more than 50 years to test a new nuclear technology. An end appears in sight, even after a recent industry setback.
The US Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory’s Materials & Fuels Complex lies in the barren desert of Idaho and has been described as the ‘Disneyland for nuclear energy.’ Source: Idaho National Laboratory
The global resurgence for nuclear energy starts in the barren, high desert of Idaho.
Almost every nuclear plant in the world today can trace its lineage back to Idaho National Laboratory’s sprawling 890-square-mile (2,300-square-kilometer) complex. Researchers there were the first to generate electricity from splitting the atom back in 1951, and countless scientists have since visited the remote site to test reactor designs.
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Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: nuclear
Nuclear energy provides almost 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Advocates have called for an expanded role for nuclear as an emissions-free fuel source. But the economics of building new reactors are daunting. In addition, lingering safety concerns are an institutionalized part of the calculation of nuclear regulation, and highly radioactive nuclear waste remains a can that public officials have been inclined to kick down the road. The Energy Information Administration projects a sharp decline in nuclear power generation over the next decade, as new nuclear plants — two are planned — are more than offset by anticipated retirements of several operating reactors.