A new generation of nuclear reactors is poised to set the United States—and the world—on the path to net zero

Nearly seventy-five years ago, the US Atomic Energy Commission set out to prove that nuclear power could be harnessed to produce electricity for peaceful applications. To do so, it created the National Reactor Testing Station in Idaho. The station, now known as Idaho National Laboratory (INL), fulfilled the commission’s promise. With public and private sector partners, the initiative achieved many firsts, including the first nuclear electricity, the first city powered by nuclear, the first demonstration of the principle of breeding (producing more fuel than is consumed in a reactor), the first submarine reactor, and the first mobile nuclear power plant. Fifty-two unique test reactors were designed, built, and operated, giving birth to the US Nuclear Navy and the global, commercial nuclear energy industry. This rich legacy of achievement has made the world safer, cleaner, more prosperous, secure, and resilient.

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