Idaho National Laboratory

In operation since 1949, the Idaho National Laboratory is a government reservation located in the southeastern Idaho desert. At 890 square miles (569,135 acres), the INL Site is roughly 85 percent the size of Rhode Island. It was established in 1949 as the National Reactor Testing Station, and for many years was the site of the largest concentration of nuclear reactors in the world. Fifty-two nuclear reactors were built, including the U.S. Navy's first prototype nuclear propulsion plant. During the 1970s, the laboratory's mission broadened into other areas, such as biotechnology, energy and materials research, and conservation and renewable energy.  INL consists of several primary facilities situated on an expanse of otherwise undeveloped terrain. Buildings and structures at INL are clustered within these facilities, which are typically less than a few square miles in size and separated from each other by miles of undeveloped land. In addition, DOE owns or leases laboratories and administrative offices in the city of Idaho Falls, some 25 miles east of the INL Site border. About 30 percent of INL's employees work in administrative, scientific support and non nuclear laboratory programs and have offices in Idaho Falls. These include engineers; scientists; and administrative, financial, technical and laboratory employees.  This is not your ordinary tour. Take a guided or self-guided tour of EBR1 (Experimental Breeder Reactor 1), the first nuclear reactor in the world to generate electricity, and now a registered National Historic Landmark. It is open Memorial Day through Labor Day from 9am to 5pm Tuesdays and Thursdays. The scheduling process is lengthy and clearance is required, so plan ahead.