On July 17, 1955, the small Idaho town of Arco made history when it was lit for an hour by nuclear power generated on the nearby Nuclear Power Research Station (today’s Idaho National Laboratory, the INL). The INL pioneered reactor designs and American power companies installed them at 54 locations around the United States, today generating 19% of U.S. power.
The American nuclear energy’s rapid growth was brought to an abrupt halt by the partial meltdown in 1979 at the Three Mile Complex in Pennsylvania.
But, nuclear energy is set for a rebirth in the United States. U.S. electrical demand is surging driven in part by the need to power data centers and the artificial intelligence industry. Like the Biden Administration, the Trump Administration has pushed a revival of the American nuclear industry to address our power needs.
The INL is playing a key role as the testing ground of the next generation of nuclear devices. The future is small modular reactors 1/10th to 1/4th the size of traditional units, built in factories, and designed to be much safer.
These designs also address the concern of today’s nuclear waste challenge. Most are designed to only last for about a decade. At the end of that period the unit is shipped back to the factory and rebuilt again, removing the nuclear material. The reprocessed nuclear materials can be used in a new reactor and the waste generated stored in a single location. This avoids the scattered on-site waste storage that has marked past reactor designs.
The INL is set test at least eight different designs in coming years. In 2026 a micro reactor will be operated that is designed to bring power to isolated sites like small rural communities, mines, and military facilities. A company called Oklo has broken ground at the INL for its sodium-cooled Aurora unit . . . and there are many more in the pipeline.
Last year Idaho Falls Power partnered with Aalo Atomics, a Texas company, to obtain power from a proposed 75 megawatt micro reactor facility, consisting of seven units to be built north of the city.
Our neighbor to the south, Utah, is also forging ahead. Last week Utah Governor Cox announced a partnership to built small modular reactors and install at least one in Brigham City, Utah.
A multitude of other states are looking at deploying small reactors. In just the past few weeks various announcement have been made in Washington, Delaware, Indiana, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Arkansas and Florida.
Governor Little is not content to sit on the side. Last week he announced the formation of the Advanced Nuclear Task Force to expedite atomic power development in Idaho. Given the current momentum it is likely Idaho utilities, communities and large power users will announce various nuclear reactor projects over the next few years.
Idaho started the nuclear power industry in the United States. It will play a key role in America’s unfolding nuclear renaissance.
About the Author
Steve Taggart is an attorney in Idaho Falls and has worked in Republican politics since his teens, both in campaigns and for elected officials, including running a congressional office.
This is exciting and welcome news. Combined with wind and solar-generated power, small-scale nuclear reactors will go a long way in reducing our climate-altering reliance on fossil fuels.
The shift to small modular reactors at INL feels like a smart pivot for the industry. I'm curious about how the decade lifecycle for these units will actully work in practice, especially the logistics of shipping reactors back to factories for rebuilding. The waste managment aspect sounds more streamlined than traditional on-site storage. Do you think Idaho utilities will prioritize micro reactors like the Aurora design over larger installations?