With the promise of newer, cheaper nuclear power on the horizon, U.S. states are vying to position themselves to build and supply the industry’s next generation as policymakers consider expanding subsidies and paving over regulatory obstacles. Designs from competing firms are filling up the government’s regulatory pipeline as the industry touts them as a reliable, climate-friendly way to meet electricity demands. The smaller reactors are, in theory, faster to build and easier to site than conventional reactors and could be operational as early as 2030.
Last year, 25 states passed legislation to support advanced nuclear energy and this year lawmakers have introduced over 200 bills supportive of nuclear energy, said Marc Nichol of the Nuclear Energy Institute, a trade association whose members include power plant owners, universities and labor unions. For some state officials, nuclear is a carbon-free source of electricity that helps them meet greenhouse gas-reduction goals. Others see it as an always-on power source to replace an accelerating wave of retiring coal-fired power plants.
Read more here: New wave of smaller, cheaper nuclear reactors sends US states racing to attract the industry