Scientists achieve historic breakthrough with salt substance that could revolutionize nuclear power: ‘A major milestone for American innovation’
Scientists achieve historic breakthrough with salt substance that could revolutionize nuclear power: ‘A major milestone for American innovation’ – Yahoo! News (Cool Down)
By Rick Kazmer. Wed, January 14, 2026 at 10:00 AM PST, 3 min read
Photo Credit: Idaho National Laboratory
You might assume that an Idaho project involving salt would also include butter, pepper, and potatoes.
But experts at the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory are working with molten salt, not Morton’s. Their latest announcement is “a major milestone for American innovation,” according to researcher Bill Phillips.
Photo Credit: Idaho National Laboratory
That’s because the project could expand nuclear power’s use on land and sea through the development of a fuel salt for the world’s first fast-spectrum, salt-fueled reactor test.
It’s part of efforts to advance the Molten Chloride Reactor Experiment — leading to a new class of reactor — for commercial use.
Most common fission reactors use pressurized water to cool chambers where atoms are split to make energy. Salt absorbs more pressure and heat than water, allowing the reactors to reach higher temperatures. The heat can be used for energy production and for industrial processes that normally generate air pollution, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Last year, the Idaho team found the “right recipe” to convert 95% of uranium metal into just under 40 pounds of fuel salt within hours, instead of a week. The work provides crucial data for nuclear experts working for Southern Company and the Bill Gates-backed TerraPower. They aim to have molten salt reactors ready for potential “terrestrial and maritime” use by the 2030s, the DOE announcement added.
Numerous other innovations are making headway, too. Several small modular reactors, billed as lower-cost and portable, are set to activate around the world within a decade. While fusion energy is likely years from viability, experts continue to make progress on the alternative reaction type that combines atoms and doesn’t produce long-lasting radioactive waste or meltdowns — risks often cited by critics.
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