Experimental Reactor Simi Hills, California

The town of Moorpark, California, claims to be the first municipality powered by nuclear energy (although Arco, Idaho, makes a similar claim). It was supplied by an experimental reactor located in an aerospace test complex nearby. The Sodium Reactor Experiment (SRE) facility, as it was called, was located on the grounds of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, in the Simi Hills. The reactor was a joint project between the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and Atomics International, a subsidiary of North American Aviation Company. The reactor's net output varied between 7.5 to 20MW, and relied on liquid sodium for cooling. It was in operation from 1957 until 1964. In 1957, in conjunction with Southern California Edison, the reactor supplied Moorpark with all of its electricity for an hour. The reactor continued to be used for research and to periodically power the grid over the years. Decommissioning began in 1974, and by 1985, its site had been released for unrestricted use. It is just one of many curious facilities built at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory.