Idaho Governor Brad Little is pointing to a landmark moment at the Idaho National Laboratory, where new reactors have reached criticality for the first time in more than 50 years — a development Little says signals the arrival of a long-anticipated nuclear energy resurgence in the United States.

A Historic Restart

The Idaho National Laboratory, which has operated for nearly eight decades, partnered with private industry to deliver three separate reactor criticalities — the point at which a nuclear chain reaction becomes self-sustaining. The achievement marks the first time new reactors have been successfully started at the facility since the early 1970s.

INL has deep roots in American nuclear history. The laboratory helped establish the country’s commercial nuclear power industry and has long supported the U.S. Navy’s nuclear propulsion program. Despite that legacy, no new reactors had reached criticality at the site in more than half a century — until now.

“For the first time in more than 50 years, new reactors have successfully started at our nation’s nuclear energy research laboratory,” Little said. “America’s nuclear renaissance is no longer a promise — it’s happening now.”

Little’s Role in Idaho’s Nuclear Push

Governor Little, Idaho’s 33rd governor, has positioned his administration at the center of the state’s nuclear energy ambitions. He established Idaho’s Advanced Nuclear Reactor Task Force to help coordinate the state’s role in the broader national effort to revive and expand nuclear power capacity.

The task force reflects a broader push, shared by the Trump administration, to accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies. Idaho, home to INL and its decades of reactor research, is well situated to serve as a proving ground for next-generation designs.

Little has framed the three reactor criticalities as validation of that strategy — proof that investment in nuclear research infrastructure, combined with industry partnership, can produce tangible results after generations of stalled progress.

National Implications

The milestone at INL arrives as interest in nuclear power is rising sharply across the country, driven by growing electricity demand from data centers, artificial intelligence infrastructure, and domestic manufacturing. Policymakers and energy developers have increasingly turned to nuclear as a reliable, low-carbon baseload source that can meet round-the-clock power needs.

Idaho’s success with reactor startups adds momentum to federal and state-level efforts to streamline licensing, expand fuel production, and bring advanced reactor designs to commercial scale. The three criticalities achieved at INL with industry partners represent real-world demonstrations — not just designs on paper — that newer reactor concepts can work.

Little’s comments suggest he views Idaho’s contribution not as a footnote but as a driver of national energy policy, arguing the state is actively shaping what a revived American nuclear sector looks like in practice.

What’s Next

With the reactor criticalities achieved, attention will likely shift to whether the technology demonstrated at INL can be scaled and commercialized. The Advanced Nuclear Reactor Task Force Little created is expected to continue guiding the state’s coordination with federal agencies and industry partners as those next steps unfold.

The laboratory’s role as a hub for public-private nuclear collaboration — already evident in the three reactor projects — positions Idaho to remain central to federal nuclear strategy under the current administration’s energy agenda.

Little has built a record of active executive engagement on nuclear policy, filling key state leadership posts and directing agency efforts toward long-term energy and infrastructure goals. His administration appears likely to continue emphasizing nuclear development as a signature issue heading into the next phase of the state’s energy planning.

For a state with INL at its core, the message from the governor is straightforward: Idaho isn’t waiting for a nuclear future — it’s already building one.