Microreactors are moving from concept to test phase. Could they be the first new US commercial reactor design since the Cold War? (WaPo)
The tech: Truck-sized units from firms like Radiant, Westinghouse, and BWXT can generate ~1 MW without water-cooling. They use TRISO “meltdown‑proof” fuel and could run five years between refueling.
The hurdles: No US source for the needed enriched uranium, no permanent waste disposal plan, and growing local resistance to proposed storage sites.
DOE testing at Idaho National Lab starts next year, with commercial rollout eyed for late 2020s–early 2030s.