On time, under budget: INL projects demonstrate ability to deliver on big nuclear jobs
Since its days as the National Reactor Testing Station, Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has focused on proving that what people think can’t be done is in fact possible. In the past decade, the lab has repeatedly demonstrated to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the nuclear industry that it can complete large, complicated nuclear […]
INL hosts forensics training for Ukraine to deter nuclear threats
It’s a long way from the Donbas region of Ukraine to Idaho, but Ukrainian officials recently made the trip to learn about collecting evidence after a nuclear attack. Ten soldiers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine and 10 members from the Security Services of Ukraine spent a week at Idaho National Laboratory learning and practicing […]
New eyes on nuclear: Technology industry reps, investment bankers visit INL to learn about financing opportunities, risks
The future promises big advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence, and corporate America is once again eyeing nuclear energy. The interest reflects a growing awareness on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley that nuclear could be the best way to get consistent, carbon-free electricity to energy-hungry data centers. Representatives from such multibillion-dollar companies as […]
States moving toward advanced nuclear with boost from Idaho National Laboratory
Eight states are developing economic development plans focused on advanced nuclear energy deployment with the help from Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL) Frontiers Initiative. Frontiers was established in 2021 to help stakeholders identify and capitalize on key economic opportunities afforded by early adoption of advanced nuclear energy. The initiative also helps stakeholders leverage advanced nuclear to […]
INL hosts national event for Nuclear Science Week
Students invited to explore STEM at Family Nuclear Science Night As Idaho National Laboratory celebrates its 75th anniversary, the laboratory is partnering with the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History to host the national event for Nuclear Science Week, a weeklong celebration of how nuclear science improves our lives. INL invites local students and […]
Programming for cost efficiency: An intern’s innovation in nuclear automation
The potential for remote operation and autonomous control, which could improve operational efficiency and reduce risk, is a major selling point for some advanced nuclear technologies. Take microreactors, for example. These small nuclear reactors are designed to be able to operate independently from the electric grid with limited local operating assistance — an exciting notion […]
A cloverleaf of innovation: INL releases custom smart watch faces to commemorate 75 years of innovation
Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL) Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) stands as a lasting monument to an innovative idea born on a twilight ride home across the Snake River Plain. The word “cloverleaf” best describes ATR’s innovative core design. Early nuclear engineers built ATR to improve fuel performance in the U.S. Navy’s nuclear fleet. Fifty-seven years later, […]
Idaho National Laboratory celebrates new Sample Preparation Laboratory
IDAHO FALLS – Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has completed substantial construction of a new facility that will serve as a national asset for accelerated research, development and qualification of structural nuclear materials. The Sample Preparation Laboratory (SPL) is expected to be operational in 2025. As the first new hot cell facility built at INL in […]
GAIN helped Kentucky clear the runway for nuclear energy. Now the coal-dependent state is waiting for the plane to land
Kenya Stump, an executive with the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet for over 17 years, has seen the volatility of coal as an energy source: shrinking demand, plant closures, job losses and tougher pollution controls. Utilities have responded to that pressure by relying more on natural gas plants because they are cheaper and cleaner than […]
From WWII bombers to desert drones: INL’s aviation history predates atomic energy
Matthew Balderree first encountered drones in 2004 as a technical sergeant in the U.S. Air Force working with an early warning and airspace management radar system in Iraq. For Balderree, that airspace included predator drones, unmanned aircrafts used in numerous military conflicts starting in 1995. In the Air Force, new technology wasn’t always user friendly, […]
