Visit the worlds first nuclear power plant from your own home

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is a news release from Idaho National Laboratory.

Visitors can now virtually tour the world’s first nuclear power plant, Experimental Breeder Reactor-I (EBR-I), any time of year from wherever they are – in English or Spanish – using TravelStorys.

TravelStorys is a free app you download on your device. Once the app is loaded, you will have more than 150 on-demand tours at your fingertips, literally. Search for “Idaho National Laboratory†to find INL/EBR-I tour. Then, you can either click through the stops and listen to a professionally narrated tour from anywhere in the world, or, if you are in Idaho, you can drive U.S. 20 between Arco and Idaho Falls and listen to the tour while you’re on the road. The narrations are triggered by GPS locations. You also can virtually tour from your computer by visiting web.travelstorys.com.

You’ll learn about the EBR-I museum, the history of the area and the mission of Idaho National Laboratory. “Every place has a story to tell. Our job is to deliver the story to the visitor as they experience the site, so that they understand, appreciate and engage with these places in a new way,†said Christie Koriakin, production director at TravelStorysGPS, LLC.

“We launched an English version of our TravelStorys tour in May 2020,†said Sara Prentice, manager of INL’s Mission Enabling Communication Services. “And we’re excited to extend that reach even further by adding a Spanish version to the tour.â€

The EBR-I reactor was completed in 1951 and became the first nuclear reactor to produce a usable amount of electricity in December 1951. EBR-I was operated until late 1963 and it was decommissioned in 1964. It was dedicated as a Registered National Historic Landmark in 1966 by President Lyndon Johnson and Glenn Seaborg, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.

The museum is typically open for in-person tours from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. Check the website at www.inl.gov/ebr for updates.