In the 1970s, the golden age of nuclear energy appeared to be coming to an end. Sharply escalating costs, regulatory upheaval, and public opposition had made industry boasts of electricity ‘too cheap to meter’ seem increasingly hubristic. After peaking in 1973, new US nuclear reactor orders would drop to zero in 1979, despite the oil shocks leading to a doubling of electricity prices in the intervening years. Meanwhile, poor design and planning resulted in the UK’s advanced gas reactor program r...