Saxton Experimental Nuclear Reactor Site, Pennsylvania

The Saxton Experimental Nuclear Reactor was an appendage to the coal-fired Saxton Generating Station. While it did contribute additional steam to the plant's turbine generators, it mainly functioned as an R&D facility, where experiments could be conducted in alternative methods of fuel rod control, as well as in the use of alternative fuel mixtures. The pressurized water reactor had a modest output of 23.5MW, becoming operational in 1962. It was owned by Saxton Nuclear Experimental Corporation. In 1972, the plant was shut down, beginning a decades-long process of decommissioning and site remediation. In 1998, the reactor vessel (long since emptied of fuel), was placed on a 140-foot-long tractor trailer, and then driven 27 miles to Huntingdon, PA. From there, it was taken by train to its final resting place in South Carolina. In 2005, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission officially terminated the plant's operating license, pronouncing the site now safe for unrestricted use.