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National lab partnerships speed nuclear deployment: Idaho National Laboratory is a leader in the effort

The global economic landscape is changing rapidly due to two major forces: the reemergence of geopolitical competition among the world’s most powerful nations and a shift to low-emission economies in the West. These forces are driving trade and investment, creating new economic patterns, partnerships, risks and opportunities for global leadership. These forces influence economic competitiveness […]

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Empowering the Future: University of Utah’s Energy Futures Research Partners With EMA

Introduction: The University of Utah joined the Emerging Energy Markets Analysis (EMA) consortium earlier this year. We recently spoke with Dr. Marian Rice, Ph.D. who is the Associate Director of the University of Utah’s new Energy Futures Research Engine initiative to get her perspective on the partnership and what each organization has to offer one […]

Novel framework improves resilience to extreme weather

America’s infrastructure is getting older and more complex. Electricity production and distribution in the U.S. currently depends on more than 10,000 power plants, 642,000 miles of high voltage lines, 56,000 substations and 6.3 million miles of local distribution lines. Much of that infrastructure is over 30 years old. Meanwhile, extreme weather events such as hurricanes, […]

Will microreactors change the world of mining? Companies aim to find out

Out on the mile-high prairies of Green River, atop the world’s largest known deposits of trona — a mineral compound with wide commercial application ranging from glass to detergent — the Tata Chemicals mining company works around the clock: it extracts and processes ore 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a […]

Future of Mining is Microreactors: Idaho National Laboratory Sees Big Benefits – Idaho National Laboratory

Powering a remote zinc mine located roughly 600 miles northwest of Anchorage, Alaska, is a Herculean task. Governments and industry have taken a particular interest in remote arctic mining locations, not only because of the region’s vast mineral resources, but also because of shipping routes that are opening through the ice due to climate change. […]

In the News

TerraPower selects Kemmerer, Wyoming as the preferred site for advanced reactor demonstration plant

November 16, 2021

TerraPower today announced Kemmerer, Wyoming as the preferred site for the Natrium™ reactor demonstration project, which is a TerraPower and GE-Hitachi technology, and is one of two competitively-selected advanced reactor demonstration projects (ARDP) supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The company selected the Kemmerer location, near the Naughton Power Plant, following an extensive evaluation process and meetings with community members and leaders.

Eielson AFB Announced as Site for Air Force Micro-Reactor Pilot

October 15, 2021

The Department of the Air Force has selected Eielson Air Force Base (AFB) to pilot its first micro-reactor. The next-generation energy capability will provide the installation with a clean, reliable, and resilient nuclear energy supply technology for critical national security infrastructure.

The micro-reactor pilot was initiated in response to the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act requirement to identify potential locations to site, construct, and operate a micro-reactor by the end of 2027. The micro-reactor will be commercially owned and operated and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensed.