The US Department of Energy on Tuesday kickstarted a pilot program to deploy small nuclear reactors across the country.
Eleven projects were selected, with the aim of getting three to be operational in less than a year, Reuters reported, and wider commercial deployment expected by 2030. Microreactors can fit in a truck trailer and generate about a thousandth of the energy of a major legacy nuclear plant. Nuclear power is having a moment in the US, embraced by pop culture and politics, The Wall Street Journal wrote, and fueled by Big Tech’s demand to power energy-guzzling data centers.
The White House wants to speed up approval for microreactors, but some scientists warned of unresolved safety and waste disposal issues.