Project Plowshare Canal and Excavation Projects
Sector: Water Supply and Storage • Location: New Mexico, Nevada, United States
Source: GIGAZINE
Project Plowshare was a U.S. government initiative launched in 1957 to use nuclear bombs for peaceful civil engineering purposes, including constructing canals and expanding the Panama Canal by removing large amounts of sediment using nuclear explosions. Experiments were conducted in New Mexico and Nevada deserts to test nuclear excavation and power generation from nuclear explosions. However, rad
- Status
- Closed
- Sector
- Water Supply and Storage, Government, Power Generation (CCGT), Nuclear, Seaport
- Location
- New Mexico, Nevada, United States of America
- Updated
- 22 Jul 2026
- Source
- GIGAZINE
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Project Information
Participants
| Not available for this record. |
Status
Original status | cancelled |
Taiyo status | Closed |
Taiyo last update | 2026-07-22 |
Contact
| Not available for this record. |
Description
Description | Project Plowshare was a U.S. government initiative launched in 1957 to use nuclear bombs for peaceful civil engineering purposes, including constructing canals and expanding the Panama Canal by removing large amounts of sediment using nuclear explosions. Experiments were conducted in New Mexico and Nevada deserts to test nuclear excavation and power generation from nuclear explosions. However, radioactive contamination and fallout occurred, and the projects were ultimately cancelled in 1977 without any canals or ports being built. |
Original sector | Civil Engineering |
Location
Country | United States of America (USA) |
State | New Mexico, Nevada |
Source
Source | GIGAZINE |
URL |
More Details
Record type | Project |
Sector | Water Supply and Storage, Government, Power Generation (CCGT), Nuclear, Seaport |
Article published date | 2026-04-03 |
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