A new generation of small nuclear reactors is operating — or nearly so — in the United States, in what supporters call a turning point for the industry.
This milestone, made possible by billions in private and government funding, unfolded in the middle of the Idaho desert, where a cluster of ramshackle hangars could pass unnoticed.
But the presence of heavily armed soldiers, security checkpoints and signs warning of radioactivity are anything but ordinary.
It was here, at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), that the Antares startup on June 4 became the first company to operate a new-design nuclear reactor in the US in nearly 50 years.
“This is the first real moment in this new nuclear renaissance,” said Jordan Bramble, CEO of Antares.
Aalo Atomics, another participant in the program launched in 2025 under President Donald Trump, is set to do the same in the coming days — also here in Idaho, just hours before the presidential target date: July 4 and the country’s 250th anniversary.
Meanwhile, on June 18, another startup, Valar Atomics, reached the same milestone in Utah, reaching what’s known as criticality — the point at which a reactor can sustain its nuclear chain reaction.
After developing more than 50 prototype reactors – including the world’s first to feed electricity into the grid, in 1951 – INL had paused following the accidents at Three Mile Island in the US and Chernobyl in present-day Ukraine.
Then came the war in Ukraine, followed by the artificial intelligence boom – putting the energy sector under severe strain and leading Joe Biden and Donald Trump to revive civilian nuclear power.
– ‘Simpler’ –
Billions of dollars in private and public funding have already been mobilized to develop these small modular reactors (SMRs) – compact enough that one could be transported to the country in a pickup truck.
SMRs promise cheaper, faster-to-build nuclear power that can go almost anywhere—from remote military bases to power-hungry data centers. But they have yet to be proven on a commercial scale, and some analysts doubt they can compete on cost with wind and solar.
In addition to financial support, the government has made INL’s facilities and staff – who have accumulated nearly 80 years of experience – available to the selected companies.
The new reactors also use different technology from conventional power plants, precluding the kind of cascading disasters seen at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, and allowing for much simpler and cheaper construction.
“The whole plant can be made simpler. We don’t need to have several meters of concrete and steel lines,” said Yasir Arafat, President and CTO of Aalo Atomics.
– ‘The Golden Age’ –
Although the pace has accelerated significantly, Tori Shivanandan, president and COO of Radiant Nuclear, wants no regulatory shortcuts.
The team at the lab, “they hold the line, and we want them to, because at the end of the day, if we don’t make safe products, we’ll never sell reactors,” she said.
Critical reach is not the same as being ready for commercial use.
The design of the reactor – prototypes of which operate under a special government waiver – still needs to be cleared by the US nuclear regulator, the NRC.
But Energy Secretary Chris Wright, speaking to AFP at a “celebration of the golden age of nuclear power” in Idaho Falls, was positive about the timeline.
“We’ll have hundreds by the end of the decade. In fact, our aggressive goal is that we’ll have several of these reactors producing electricity for useful use next year,” he said.
If all goes according to plan, Radiant’s first SMRs will go to US military sites, as will Antares, while Aalo targets data centers.
Nuclear power is also being positioned as a tool for American influence abroad, with China the only other country operating an SMR.
“Every place I go asks about the next generation of American nuclear technology. I say … it’s happening right now,” Wright said.
“This will be a massive American export a decade from now,” he added.
