Energy Department: Idaho top choice for new test reactor

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho is the top choice for the first new nuclear test reactor in the country in decades, the U.S. Department of Energy said Monday.

The agency released a draft environmental impact statement naming the Idaho National Laboratory as its preferred site for the proposed Versatile Test Reactor, or VTR.

Officials say the reactor is needed to help revamp the nation’s fading nuclear power industry and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by developing safer fuel and power plants.

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee is an alternative for the new reactor if further study finds the Idaho site doesn’t work.

Read more: https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/state/energy-department-idaho-top-choice-for-new-test-reactor/article_1cde6fa2-140f-548e-93c0-9f816ef55438.html