Nuclear

In the 1950, the U.S. was trying to develop a nuclear-powered engine that the Navy could use for submarines and aircraft carriers, and much of that work was done in the Idaho desert near Idaho Falls, at what would become the Naval Reactor Facility.

About 2,000 people live in Kemmerer, which is in the corner of southwest Wyoming, where the mountains meet the desert. It is known for a few things – the original JCPenney store, ancient fossils and consequently, the fossil fuel industry. But, in late 2021, the company TerraPower, founded by Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, announced their plans to build a nuclear plant nearby. While there is some push back with the project, the hope is to create ‘greener’ energy and jobs for former coal workers.

U.S. support for nuclear power is the highest it's been in a decade. And there are a number of proposals for new plants in our region. That could mean an uptick in domestic uranium mining.

Five nuclear power plants could be built in the Mountain West by 2035 through a partnership between the nuclear technology company TerraPower and regional utility PacifiCorp.

Idaho Matters sits down with the creator of the Wild Thing podcast to discuss nuclear power and the 1961 meltdown of an experimental reactor in Idaho Falls.

A federal fund that compensates people sickened by radiation from nuclear weapons testing is set to expire next year. However, a new proposal to both extend and expand it.

Bill Gates' company TerraPower and the utility Rocky Mountain Power have picked the Wyoming coal town of Kemmerer as the location for a $4 billion, electricity-generating nuclear reactor. Optimism is high but the technology's unproven.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has signed off on a design for a small modular nuclear reactor, but some scientists say the approval is misguided. These…

Update 07/26/19 9:15 a.m.: The fire, which burned 113,000 acres and was 60% contained on Thursday morning, is expected to be fully contained by Friday…

A mini-nuclear generation reactor is slated to go online in 2023 in Southeast Idaho to provide energy for Northern Utah communities. Industry officials…