Commercial nuclear power generation was cornerstone of his plan. A proposal by Duquesne Light Company was accepted by Admiral Rickover and the plans for the Shippingport Atomic Power Station started.

Ground was broken on Labor Day, September 6, 1954. President Eisenhower remotely initiated the first scoop of dirt at the ceremony.The reactor achieved first criticality at 4:30 AM on December 2, 1957. Sixteen days later, on December