1st nuclear power plant generates electricity,
December 20, 1951
Jessica MacNeil - December 20, 2016
The EBR-I (experimental breeder reactor I) became the world's first electricity-generating nuclear
power plant when it produced electricity in Arco, Idaho on December 20, 1951.
It produced enough electricity to light four 200-W light bulbs, and a day later, the reactor produced
enough power to light the whole building. The plant produced 200 kW of electricity from 1.4 MW of
heat that the reactor generated.
When it was designed by Walter Zinn at the Argonne National Laboratory it was not intended to
produce electricity, but to test the theory that a breeder reactor was possible. Breeder reactors are
capable of generating more fissile material than consumed because the neutron economy is high
enough to breed more fissile fuel, using less uranium and thorium.
The reactor proved Enrico Fermi's fuel breeding principle by producing more fuel than it consumed.
It began power operation on August 24, 1951 at the National Reactor Testing Station and atomic
energy was successfully harvested for the first time on December 20. It was the world's first breeder
reactor and first to use plutonium to generate electricity.
Decommissioned in 1964, EBR-I was replaced by EBR-II and it was declared a National Historic
Landmark in 1965, and a IEEE Milestone in 2004.
Also see:
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1st self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction is initiated, December 2, 1942
Satellite error nearly causes nuclear war, September 26, 1983
1st nuclear-powered aircraft carrier launches, September 24, 1960
Three Mile Island accident occurs, March 28, 1979
1st nuclear-powered merchant ship docks, August 22, 1962
For more moments in tech history, see this blog. EDN strives to be historically accurate with these
postings. Should you see an error, please notify us.
Editor's note: This article was originally posted on December 20, 2013 and edited on December 20,
2016.