In the US , a series of tests were carried out under Project Plowshare . Some of the ideas considered included blasting a new Panama Canal , the use of underground explosions to create electricity , and a variety of geological studies . The largest of the excavation tests was carried out in the Sedan nuclear test in 1962 , which released large amounts of radioactive gas into the air . By the late 1960s , public opposition to Plowshare was increasing , and a 1970s study of the economics of the concepts suggested they had no practical use . Plowshares saw decreasing interest from the 1960s , and was officially cancelled in 1977
Sedan nuclear test
Sedan (nuclear test)
Peaceful nuclear explosion