Several thousand people were in attendance at the Mountain America Center arena in Idaho Falls on Thursday afternoon to listen to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and others celebrate America’s nuclear renaissance.
The audience included representatives from the nuclear companies in the Department of Energy’s Reactor Pilot Program.
Wright earlier visited Idaho National Laboratory on Thursday for an event in the lab’s Materials and Fuels Complex, 45 miles west of Idaho Falls.
Both appearances by Wright occurred just ahead of the 250th anniversary of the United States, underscoring the country’s progress in the nuclear renaissance.
In an executive order issued in May 2025, President Trump created the Reactor Pilot Program with the goal to have three new advanced nuclear reactors reach criticality — the ability to maintain a self-sustaining chain reactions — by this July 4.
“Partners from across the nuclear ecosystem are here today,” INL Director John Wagner said to the receptive audience at Mountain America Center.
“We call this a celebration of the Golden Era of Nuclear Power,” Wagner said. “I want to be clear about what that means. Not a golden era that is coming someday. One that is here. One that is unfolding before us in real time. Antares Mark-0 achieved criticality at the laboratory on June 4.”
Antares Nuclear achieved criticality first with the Mark-0 built and tested at INL.
Two weeks later, Valar Atomics’ advanced reactor design, Ward 250, achieved criticality at the Utah San Rafael Energy Lab in Emory County, Utah.
“In the days ahead, we fully anticipate achieving the president’s goal of three reactors achieving criticality by July 4,” Wagner said. “This is a goal that people thought was not possible. I believe we will absolutely achieve that. And that’s not the end. Several more will follow shortly.”
Wright, serving as the keynote speak in the arena, relished the moment.
“It is truly exciting to be here at the nuclear Woodstock,” he said. “I didn’t know this would ever happen. I’ve been passionate about nuclear since I was a kid, and here we are.
“It is the people in this room, this state, this lab, this community that are driving this pivot,” Wright said. “We will look back in history and remember this pivot. Not just in America’s nuclear energy, but in America’s energy.
“Energy is life,” he said. “Energy is national security. Energy is economic security. We cannot understate what’s going on here today, and you are making it happen.”
Wright credited Trump for launching this nuclear renaissance. He understood that the nation needed to set big goals to relaunch nuclear energy.
A nuclear renaissance has been talked about for 20 years. Trump acted and created the Reactor Pilot Program, he said.
“Some people thought (they were) crazy bold goals that would lead to disappointment,” Wright said. “But Trump followed up with all of the actions necessary to enable the achievement of those goals.”
Now the nation is poised to get three reactors critical less than 14 months after the goal was set, Wright said.
He credited INL and the 10 companies that are partnering with the energy department to get advanced reactors critical as quickly as possible.
Wright also announced that he signed authorization Thursday for Aalo Atomics to move forward on tests to become the third next-generation nuclear reactor to go critical and maintain a sustaining chain reaction.
“We are going to see success across the board,” Wright predicted. “And then we’re going to have new goals, not just running critical. When are we going to be selling electricity? When are we going to be powering new industries?”
Wright’s glimpse at the nation’s possible future didn’t stop there.
“When are we going to be driving this more prosperous tremendous future for Americans across our country?” Wright asked.
“The beating heart of the nuclear industry will always be here in Idaho,” Wright said. “But these technologies will thrive around our country and change the future of our country.”