EBR-I opens Tuesday to celebrate anniversary
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Looking for a winter day trip? Experimental Breeder Reactor-I, located 50 miles west of Idaho Falls on U.S. Highway 20, will open to the public Tuesday, Dec. 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no cost for admission or the available guided tour.
Idaho National Laboratory will provide transportation to 50 people on a first-come, first-served basis. Meet at the Energy Innovation Laboratory, 775 MK Simpson Blvd., at 9:15 a.m. The bus departs at 9:30 a.m. and will return to Idaho Falls at 12:30 p.m.
The reactor was completed in 1951, and on Dec. 20, 1951, became the first nuclear reactor to produce a usable amount of electricity. EBR-I operated until late 1963 and was decommissioned in 1964. It was dedicated as a Registered National Historic Landmark on Aug. 25, 1966, by President Lyndon Johnson and Glenn Seaborg, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.
“We made history at EBR-I on Dec. 20 back in 1951,” said Sarah Neumann, INL Media Relations and Digital Content manager. “The museum is open in the summer, and we like to make it available on the anniversary too. This is one more chance for us to share our history with community members.”
Visitors can also use the TravelStorys website or app to listen to an on-demand tour of INL on their drive along U.S. 20 and U.S. Highway 26.
No reservations are necessary. Self-guided tours are also available. For more information about tours, contact tours@inl.gov.
