Explore Nuclear Energy

Idaho may be best known for potato production, but 62 years ago a small, experimental nuclear reactor located between Idaho Falls and Arco generated electricity from nuclear energy for the first time. This milestone occurred on Dec. 20, 1951, paving ... Read More

On March 11, 2011, an earthquake struck the Japanese coastline, followed by a massive tsunami that flooded towns and claimed thousands of lives. The heavy floodwaters also damaged the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. On the second anniversary ... Read More

Since the first U.S. nuclear power plant opened its doors for commercial operation in 1958 until today, the nuclear industry has grown to serve nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population’s energy needs. Though most nuclear power plants that began... Read More

Science is a discipline that explores the outer reaches of possibility to solve problems. One of the most intriguing challenges that scientists and engineers of the nuclear industry face is preparing for unexpected events – both natural and manmade – ... Read More

Inside the sun, fusion reactions take place at very high temperatures and enormous gravitational pressures The foundation of nuclear energy is harnessing the power of atoms. Both fission and fusion are nuclear processes by which atoms are altered to ... Read More

Small modular reactors (SMRs) produce 300 megawatts or less of power, and are about one-third the size of conventional nuclear reactors. Like the Mini Coopers of the automotive world, a new generation of mini-nuclear reactors may soon be driving ... Read More

The reactor containment dome of Changjiang 1, a Chinese nuclear unit, is lowered into place (Image: CNECC). Since 2007, the U.S. economy has been shaking off a deep recession that left many people jobless and companies scrambling to avoid bankruptcy.... Read More

Rethink for just a minute what you know about nuclear energy. Set aside the idea that nuclear energy can only be produced at highly engineered nuclear reactors with multiple, redundant safety features. Site of the Oklo natural nuclear reactors in ... Read More

The amount of thorium it would take to provide one individual with all the power to run his or her entire life is the size of a marble. The proposal to use thorium in nuclear reactors has been a tantalizing possibility since the 1970s. Thorium, aptly ... Read More