LEADERS IN NUCLEAR DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF NUCLEAR ENERGY

ECA Staff | 06/28/2024

This May, the Energy Communities Alliance (ECA) hosted over 250 people at the ECA Forum: Building Nuclear Partnerships and Projects, held in the Tri-Cities, Washington.  This Forum brought together federal, state, tribal and local governments, economic development professionals, developers, utilities, state and federal regulators, industry, and academia to identify opportunities, challenges and to build the partnerships necessary for new, safe nuclear development. This Forum is  the third in an ongoing series and part of ECA’s  New Nuclear Initiative to identify and provide opportunities for nuclear development,  define the role of  local governments in the development projects and to provide opportunities for local leaders to collaborate with industry, DOE and  their peers in existing and potential future nuclear communities. 

Welcome from the Tri-Cities and Washington Delegation

ECA’s Forum focused on key issues:

• What opportunities exist for nuclear development?
• What do communities need to know to support and attract new nuclear development/missions?
• How can communities support industry, national laboratories, state, and federal governments and how should they communicate about local resources and development opportunities?
• What hurdles and challenges will host communities in the US and abroad face - along with industry, developers - and who can we work with to overcome them?
• Which communities are interested in and pursuing hosting nuclear facilities.

The Forum featured discussion-based panels addressing all aspects of a nuclear project: from the front-end to the back end of the fuel cycle. Notable speakers, included DOE’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, Dr. Mike Goff, two former DOE Assistant Secretaries for Nuclear Energy, Dr. Monica Regalbuto, and Ed McGuiness, and Ray Furstenau Director, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). 

Welcome from the Tri-Cities and Washington Delegation

All of the leading advanced nuclear technology and project developers participated in the Forum providing plans and the outlook for companies including Aalo Atomics, Curio, Deep Isolation, Energy Northwest, Framatome, Holtec, Oklo, Terrestrial Power, Westinghouse, X-energy, and Zeno Power. They were joined by Mayors from nuclear communities across the globe, including Mayor Brent Gerry of West Richland, Mayor Rebecca Casper of Idaho Falls, Mayor Bill Thek of Kemmerer, Wyoming, and Mayor Gerben Djiksterhuis of Borsele, Netherlands. 

Mayor Rebecca Casper, City of Idaho Falls, ID, and Chair, ECA's New Nuclear Initiative 

The forum was flush with addresses from state and federal officials, including Senator Maria Cantwell, Congressman Newhouse, Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodger, Senator Danny Carrol of Kentucky, and Representative Stephanie Barnard of Washington. These individuals, and many more, represent dozens of communities  from across the country who came together to consider building local and state support, enabling legislation, opportunities for industrial applications, financing and fuel supply challenges.

Highlights from each session are summarized below:

Spreading the Message

Public officials and local leaders discussed the best ways to educate and promote interest in nuclear energy. While representing a wide range of perspectives Speakers representing a wide range of perspectives identified the issues they most often address, the importance of “active listening” and understanding that “one size does not fit all” when working to build capacity to create informed communities.

• Nuclear energy’s role as a firm baseload source in the energy transition, nuclear energy’s capacity to help communities meet increasing energy demand, and the role nuclear energy can play in safeguarding energy security while supporting the deployment of renewables like wind and solar in an all-of-the above energy mix.
• The need for local leaders and public officials to engage directly with communities to address concerns, answer questions and combat long held misconceptions over security, radiation, or nuclear waste concerns.
• State, local and Tribal leaders need to work together to determine if they want to host a nuclear project and whether it is protective of long-term public and environmental health and meets the economic development vision of a given community/region.

Building State Support for Nuclear Development

State officials, members of governor-appointed nuclear advisory boards, and industry leaders discussed steps being taken at the state level to build capacity about nuclear energy, and to address how leaders at the local, state, Tribal and Federal level can and should work together.  Panelists stressed that communities should not be passive partners and considered how best to capitalize on the knowledge and skill sets of local workforces and officials to create trusted messengers and champions. 

• States should prioritize education on nuclear energy and potential development in local communities and regions. Existing misconceptions on issues including security and waste can overshadow the benefits nuclear energy presents. 
• States should work with trusted and respected individuals in a community to employ outreach methods and create educational materials that best serve that given community.
• State and local officials need to work with project developers iteratively to build and maintain support for new nuclear projects.

In Pursuit of a Reliable, Domestic Fuel Supply (Presentations)

Dr. Monica Regalbuto provided an overview of the challenge for creating a reliable nuclear fuel supply for advanced nuclear projects, given less than 10% of mining is performed domestically, less than 15% of conversion is domestic, and less than 35% of enriched fuel used is domestic. Panelists noted the need to address concerns including proliferation risk, a realistic timeline for fuel production to meet growing demand, a lack of industry confidence, the mammoth task of building out a domestic industry and what communities can begin now to fill supply chain gaps. 

• For a developer, the ideal fuel fabrication site is one that already exists, as conversion of a site can be years-long process. 
• Given each company has its own fuel design, there is an added burden on the supply chain. Fuel standardization could help ease this burden and maximize production efficiency. 
• Communities that want to host fuel facilities should work with fuel fabricators and project developers to consider applying for an early site permit as soon as possible.

Rebuilding the Supply Chain

Many communities are interested in helping to rebuild the nuclear supply chain to support deployment of first-of-a-kind (FOAK) projects. These efforts are particularly susceptible to cost overrun risk, subscription concern risk, scarcity and delays. Panelists highlighted ways to mitigate these risks and opportunities for communities to engage now. 

• Standardized designs for key components across the industry would help to reduce production cost and manufacture time.
• Increased government support, investment, and loans programs will be paramount to providing insurance to combat cost overrun risk and subscription concern risk.  
• For communities, particularly those undergoing energy transitions, small modular reactors could present an opportunity to scale according to capability and demand.

Understanding Industrial Applications of Nuclear Energy (Presentations)

As the energy industry works to achieve decarbonization goals, there is renewed opportunity for nuclear energy as a source of clean, reliable baseload power. There is also opportunity for advanced nuclear technologies to support other industries to reach their own decarbonization goals: from facilitating manufacturing, desalination, supporting data centers or creating hydrogen hubs. These factors open up a wealth of economic opportunities for communities, and panelists discussed how communities can seize these opportunities. 

• Manufacturing and chemical production companies looking to reduce carbon emissions and to ensure their own reliable power supply are incentivized to cooperate with nuclear communities.
• Communities familiar with the chemical industry and petrochemical facilities already have the infrastructure, legacy, and community knowledge to support the addition of nuclear development.
• Retiring/retired coal and nuclear communities may be the ideal future locations for energy-intensive AI and datacenters and could benefit from co-location of these facilities with new nuclear development.

Reusing Energy Sites for Nuclear Development

Panelists spoke about the advantages of reusing existing DOE and energy sites to revitalize legacy host communities with anticipated decommissioning coal-first power plants and programs like the DOE’s Cleanup to Clean Energy. Speakers addressed potential challenges, noting that the bureaucracy around retired or government energy sites can often be the biggest roadblock to reuse. To overcome challenges, the panel addressed the need for developers to actively engage with host communities as that partnership and alignment will be vital for reuse development.

• Developers can make use of pre-existing environmental information from site evaluations and existing infrastructure on-site to speed new development. Long-held expertise and opportunities for reskilling workers from coal and nuclear industries is another great advantage.
• Developers should be actively engaged in outreach with a community to help build capacity, respond to inquiries, and to build meaningful partnerships with local champions. One way to achieve this is through open-houses and site tours. 
• Communities should consider conducting a screening of any site that can be reused for new development to provide as much information as possible on community resources (infrastructure, workforce, transportation routes, etc.) to project developers they are hoping to attract.
• Communities and developers should consider partnerships around early site permitting.

Addressing Nuclear Waste – Old and New

Industry and policymaker panelists agreed: communities and developers need to understand waste management before developing new nuclear projects. Regulatory shifts are needed to allow for future development, and communities can help to bring them about. The panel discussed how community leaders and developers should work in tandem to be proactive in communicating new technologies, opportunities, benefits, and safety precautions to their communities.

• Potential host communities and developers need to address waste, be transparent and understand the “risks” as perceived by a community.  These risks may not simply be about radiation or emergency planning, they may be about how a community self-identifies.  This interaction needs to be iterative throughout planning and development.
• Government grants and funding to communities and developers will be necessary to support the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle.
• Local leaders need to understand the benefits of hosting a waste facility and opportunities for job creation, the ability to co-locate other facilities to leverage those opportunities and diversify economic development, and how to ensure benefits for the host community and state. 
• Leaders should start the conversation on options for waste storage and transportation and provide multiple avenues for feedback from the community.  Local leaders are best suited to understand – and help developers understand – the best methods for outreach in their community as “no one size will fit all.”

Click here for more information on ECA’s program on Consent Based Siting.

Engagement Across Agencies, Labs, and Communities 

Cooperation across all levels of government and industry will be necessary for new nuclear development.  Those partnerships can bring in federal support to communities and, in the case of national labs, provide opportunities for tech transfer. Panelists highlighted steps already being taken, such as coordination between DOE program offices, across federal agencies and lessons learned from successful engagement on nuclear power and waste facility development abroad in Borsele, Netherlands. 

• Coordination across labs, industry and energy communities can help to facilitate the transformation of R&D into industry innovations that can be implemented locally.  
• Communities should work with their state energy offices to help assess their viability to host and develop new nuclear facilities/technology deployment. 
• Federal agencies/entities, like the EPA, the Department of Commerce’s Energy Development Agency, the Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN), the Interagency Working Group for Coal Communities and the Thriving Communities Network as well as DOE’s new Office of Community Engagement can provide technical assistance for states and communities considering new nuclear development. 
• Resources should be provided for communities to hire their own independent third-party experts to ensure their priorities and concerns are considered when evaluating a potential nuclear project.
• States and communities should also look at cooperating regionally on energy projects and engaging with existing regional organization like the Appalachian Regional Coalition to build support, understand and pursue shared opportunities.

For additional information and resources about the 2024 ECA New Nuclear Forum, such as recordings of the Forum proceedings, click here.

ECA thanks all our excellent speakers for their input and participation. We look forward to continuing these discussions and building partnerships across the nuclear ecosystems at our fourth ECA New Nuclear Forum in April 2025 in Idaho Falls, ID. Check the ECA website or sign up for our newsletter to receive updates and registration information. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

September 16-18, 2024 | Crystal Gateway Marriott | Arlington, VA

​Join us for the 10th Annual National Cleanup Workshop. 

Hear from senior DOE leaders, local government officials, and industry leaders about DOE's cleanup priorities, the future of the workforce, and more.

Featured Speakers: 

• The Honorable Jennifer M. Granholm, Secretary of U.S. Department of Energy
• Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03), Chairman, House Appropriations Energy and Water Development Subcommittee
• Candice Robertson, Senior Advisor, DOE-EM
• Jeff Avery, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, DOE-EM
• Greg Sosson, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Field Operations, DOE-EM
• Kristen Ellis, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regulatory and Policy Affairs, DOE-EM
• Dae Chung, Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Corporate Services, DOE-EM
• James McConnell, Associate Principal Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration
• Brent Gerry, Mayor, City of West Richland, WA; Chair, ECA and
• Rebecca Casper, Mayor, City of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Vice-Chair, ECA.

Hosted by ECA with the cooperation of the Energy Facility Contractors Group and DOE-EM, the workshop brings together more than 800 senior DOE executives, officials from DOE sites, industry leaders, local elected officials, contractors and community stakeholders to discuss EM’s progress to address the environmental legacy of the Manhattan Project and Cold War-era U.S. nuclear weapons program.