The biggest nuclear power plant in the United States is not a single hulking reactor, but a sprawling complex whose scale is measured in gigawatts and square miles. Its turbines quietly push out enough electricity to anchor a regional grid, while its ...

Commercial nuclear reactors all work pretty much the same way. Atoms of a radioactive material split, emitting neutrons. Those bump into other atoms, splitting them and causing them to emit more neutrons, which bump into other atoms, continuing the chain reaction.

For decades, Hawaiʻi has said no to nuclear power. But advancements in nuclear technology and pressures to shift Hawaiʻi away from costly oil have prompted some lawmakers to revisit the nuclear question.