The US wants to build a different kind of nuclear reactor from a decades-old concept that could power ships and other off-the-grid locations

• Molten salt reactors were first built in the 1950s but haven't been used in the US since the 1970s.
• The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently issued a permit to build a molten salt nuclear plant.
• Kairos Power is heading the project, which it hopes to finish by 2027.

The US has issued a permit to construct a different kind of nuclear reactor.

Known as a molten salt reactor, it could lead to smaller, easier-to-build nuclear power plants in the future that could end up powering ships and other off-the-grid locations.