Quebec's Only Working Nuclear Reactor Is Named Slowpoke for a Reason

Quebec's only working nuclear reactor goes by "Slowpoke," and the nickname is less a joke than a spec sheet. As Global News puts it, the machine produces about 20 kilowatts of thermal energy — enough, by the outlet's comparison, to power six or seven toasters.

Nuclear power usually enters a conversation at the scale of cities, so a reactor whose output can be counted in breakfast appliances is a useful correction. The name isn't false modesty; it's an accurate input figure. "Nuclear reactor" covers a broader range of machines than the ones feeding a grid, and this one is honest enough to say so in its own nickname.