Atomic Show #349 – Josh Gillespie, COO National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC)
About this episode
Josh Gillespie discusses the role of the National Reactor Innovation Center in advancing nuclear reactor technology.
Idaho National Laboratory (INL) was born in 1949 as the National Reactor Testing Station after the Atomic Energy Commission decided they needed a place to test controlled nuclear fission power systems. Before being taken over by the AEC, the land was controlled and used by the U.S. Navy to test refurbished weapons , up to and including the 16″ guns carried by battleships. After a five decade long hiatus in building new reactors while also implementing a significant level of diversification into other research areas, the INL is regaining strength in its original purpose as a place to test and demonstrate complete nuclear reactor power plants. (The term “plant” is not really applicable to micro-reactors, but it will serve as a general term for now.) This time through, the design, approval, construction and testing programs are not being led by a federal monopoly called the Atomic Energy Commission. It is not focused on developing reactors that can be used to test the ideas of scientists who don’t really care if anyone wants to buy the system they are developing. Instead, the reactor development efforts underway and in planning for the future are more…
People in this episode
Host: Rod Adams
Guest: Josh Gillespie
Topics covered
- nuclear energy
- reactor development
- innovation
- nuclear renaissance
- Idaho National Laboratory
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: National Reactor Innovation Center, Idaho National Laboratory, Atomic Energy Commission
Places: U.S., Idaho
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