Episode Details

The U.S. pioneered early nuclear technologies—not only for war, but also for peacetime, in the form of abundant nuclear energy. After a surge in new reactor construction, the 1979 partial meltdown at Three Mile Island precipitated the end of nuclear energy’s expansion in America. But recent calls for reliable, clean energy to fuel AI data centers have shifted attitudes and increased investment and innovation in the industry. Will the AI race be enough to reboot nuclear energy in the U.S.?

This episode is part of The Wall Street Journal’s USA250: The Story of the World’s Greatest Economy, a collection of articles, videos and podcasts aiming to offer a deeper understanding of how America has evolved.

Listen to previous installments of our USA250 podcast:

The Struggle To Keep America’s Workers Safe

An Economy Built on Speculation

America’s Road to a DIY Retirement

Further Reading:

Why Fusion Is Considered Energy’s Elusive Holy Grail

America’s First Commercial Nuclear-Power Projects in a Decade Just Broke Ground

‘Three New York Cities’ Worth of Power: AI Is Stressing the Grid

Inside the Audacious Plan to Reopen Three Mile Island’s Nuclear Plant

Five Things to Know About AI’s Thirst for Energy

‘It’s Time for Nuclear’ to Meet Growing U.S. Power Needs, Trump Declares

Nuclear Power Is Making a Comeback

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