INL, Idaho leaders and U.S. Energy Secretary launch ‘golden age’ of nuclear power
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IDAHO FALLS — With two nuclear reactors reaching criticality and more planned in the coming days, Idaho National Laboratory celebrated this historic landmark with U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and other Idaho leaders.
The Celebration of the Golden Era of Nuclear Power: Unleashing America’s Nuclear Renaissance was held at the Mountain America Center Thursday, where hundreds of INL employees, Idaho leaders, and nuclear developers were in attendance.
During his remarks, Wright thanked the Trump Administration for its platform focused on nuclear energy and on unleashing its full potential.
He talked about how the United States, after World War 2, became a nuclear powerhouse until the Cold War, when he saw America stagnate in that regard.
“Enter President Trump. President Trump possessed three critical characteristics that we needed then. Number one, an absolute over-the-top belief in the American spirit, in the American nation, and the American people,” Wright said.
Wright said that despite Trump’s background in real estate, he understood how vital energy is and the possibilities it can unlock.
“(Trump) had this boldness and this passion, but he understood we need to set big goals if we’re going to relaunch nuclear energy,” Wright said.
In his Executive Order 14301, Wright said that Trump’s goal was for three reactors to go critical by the Fourth of July in 2026, within 14 months of the order’s signing.
The Reactor Pilot Program, which has 10 private nuclear companies, has seen success with Antares Nuclear Inc. reaching criticality on June 4 at the INL and Valar Atomics Inc. reaching criticality on June 18 in Utah.
He announced that Aalo Atomics Inc., under his authorization, will become the next nuclear company to go critical in the coming days.
“We are going to see success across the board, and then we’re going to have new goals,” Wright said. “The beating heart of the nuclear industry will always be here in Idaho, but these technologies will thrive around our country and change the future of our country.”
The Marketing and Content Lead at Aalo Atomics Inc., Jared Hoffman, spoke with EastIdahoNews.com about the announcement, saying it’s not only a great day for Aalo but also for Idaho and America.
Aalo was founded by Chief Executive Officer Matt Loszak and Chief Technology Officer Yasir Arafat, who, Hoffman said, had worked for the INL for many years before starting Aalo with Loszak.
This, in turn, also helped motivate their decision to choose INL and Idaho as their sites of operation.
“It signals that the door is open to build these awesome technologies and develop them here in Idaho, and create jobs here in Idaho,” Hoffman said. “(To) work on a technology that, at least, we’re very passionate about, we believe can do a lot of good for the world.”
The company is developing a 10-megawatt reactor capable of powering 10,000 homes, but its focus is on supporting data centers.
Hoffman said the goal is to power these data centers cleanly and reliably without raising the costs of residents living nearby.
“It’s a very exciting day,” Hoffman said.
INL Director John Wagner said that the accomplishments of Antares, Valar, and Aalo in the near future are just the beginning, not the end, of this new future.
He said the goal is to have 400 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2050.
“The goal is energy dominance. The goal is a reindustrialized nuclear sector, American-designed, American-built, American-led,” Wagner said. “Everything we celebrate today is the foundation for what comes next, and the people in this room are the ones who will enable it.”