When Radiant Energy first rolled into Wyoming, they sounded like the old traveling salesmen who used to rattle through frontier towns with shiny bottles and big promises.
Their “tiny nuclear reactors” were billed as safe, modern, and the future of power. They told Wyoming we were perfect for innovation.
Now they have packed up the wagon and headed for Oak Ridge, Tennessee, praising that community’s “high nuclear IQ.”
That statement might sound flattering to Tennessee, but it says a lot more about Radiant.
Oak Ridge is not some neutral industrial park. It is the birthplace of the atomic bomb, a long-standing federal nuclear research site, and still one of the most radioactive cleanup areas in the country.
Parts of Oak Ridge remain Superfund sites, and residents nearby have long faced elevated cancer risks from legacy contamination.
It is also a location with massive federal oversight and security infrastructure, with layers of control that can handle experimental and high-risk projects.
By choosing Oak Ridge, Radiant has confirmed exactly what Wyoming critics were saying all along: this technology is still experimental, still unproven, and not yet appropriate for a civilian community setting.
Their move does not reflect Wyoming’s lack of “nuclear IQ.” It reflects our common sense.
Wyoming residents asked the right questions about safety, waste handling, regulatory clarity, and the company’s actual capabilities.
Instead of answering, Radiant chose an easier stage to perform on. They did not outsmart Wyoming; they simply ran out of sales pitch.
Wyoming’s strength has always been grounded judgment, not blind enthusiasm.
We know a showman’s act when we see one, and this one just left town.
Sincerely,
Mark Koep, Sundance
