So are Purdue University, a North Carolina steel company, a Texas chemical plant, an Indonesian ammonia factory and lots of others. Here’s an overview of the growing interest in this technology.
Small Modular Nuclear Reactor
Governor Youngkin is proposing a small modular nuclear reactor in Southwest Virginia
Posted inEconomy
Southwest Virginia is a ‘competitive hosting ground’ for small modular nuclear reactors, study finds
The study identified seven potential sites for SMRs in the area of Lee, Wise, Scott and Dickenson counties and the city of Norton.
Posted inOpinion
11 years ago, a national study warned against mining uranium in Virginia
Unlike many regions in the U.S. that mine uranium, Virginia gets a lot of rain, which could make the management of radioactive waste more difficult and dangerous. Part 5 of a five-part series on what the new push for nuclear power means for Virginia.
Posted inOpinion
The unnamed Virginia coal plant the Dept. of Energy flagged as a possible nuclear reactor site
The Department of Energy didn’t specify which coal plant in Virginia they are eying as a possible location for a new nuclear reactor — but we figured it out. Part 4 of a five-part series on what the new push for nuclear power means for Virginia.
Posted inOpinion
Energy Department report says coal plant workers would make good nuclear plant workers
“The folks who operate coal units are energy professionals just like the folks who operate nuclear, and the skills are not radically different,” one nuclear expert said. Part 3 of a five-part series on what the new push for nuclear power means for Virginia.
Posted inOpinion
Virginia Tech nuclear expert says U.S. needs to rebuild its nuclear energy workforce
A nationally-recognized nuclear expert says an insufficient workforce, not technological issues, will be Virginia’s biggest obstacle to developing small modular nuclear reactors. Part 2 of a five-part series on what the new push for nuclear power means for Virginia.
Posted inOpinion
The changing politics of nuclear energy are bringing some liberals and some conservatives together
Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may have roughly the same position on a certain issue. Part 1 of a five-part series on what the new push for nuclear power means for Virginia.
Posted inEducation
Virginia Tech once had its own nuclear reactor
If Governor Youngkin succeeds in locating a small nuclear reactor in Southwest Virginia, it won’t be the first. From 1960 to 1985, Virginia Tech operated its own small reactor in Robeson Hall, just off the Drillfield.
Posted inEconomy
New grants will fund study of siting, supply chain for small nuclear reactor in Southwest Virginia
While Gov. Glenn Youngkin has been pushing the idea since October, the grants represent the first real public signs of steps being taken toward establishing an SMR in the coalfields region.
Posted inPolitics
Youngkin doubles down on quest to put nation’s first commercial small modular nuclear reactor in Southwest Virginia
The governor made two stops in Southwest Virginia, one at a Bristol school to discuss the deadly drug fentanyl and the second in Abingdon to sign bills related to his energy plan.