We haven’t built a new nuclear plant from scratch in decades. The ones we have are like aging rock stars—still touring, but the tour bus is falling apart. The average plant is about 42 years old. That’s old for a machine that works by splitting the tiniest particles in the universe.
But, surprise: the government and some startups are trying to change that. They’re talking about small modular reactors (SMRs)—basically, nuclear plants in a box. Think of them as the “Honda Civic” of nuclear: cheaper, smaller, and you could theoretically plop one down in rural Idaho without a big river. But they’re not ready yet, so don’t go looking for one on Google Maps.
The bottom line? If you want to see where nuclear lives, just take a road trip through the Eastern third of the U.S. You’ll find them hiding in plain sight—next to a river, behind a soybean field, or, in my case, right where I needed a bathroom. Just don’t expect to find one in Wyoming. They’re too busy with coal there. (And probably not complaining.)
