The Kentucky Senate voted overwhelmingly Monday to lay the groundwork for attracting nuclear energy projects to a state where coal has dominated and sustained the economy for generations.
Republican Sen. Danny Carroll said Kentucky should tap a variety of resources to meet its energy needs, including coal, natural gas and renewable energy, but his bill would leave the Bluegrass state He stressed that the country is preparing for an energy surge that seems inevitable. nuclear energy.
“I believe Kentucky needs to continue moving forward with all of the above approaches,” he said. “But I also strongly believe that nuclear power is the future of this Commonwealth, and it is essential that this Commonwealth stays at the forefront and is not left behind.”
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His bill passed the Senate by a vote of 34-0, with senators from the coalfields joining in support. The bill next goes to the House of Representatives. Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers. By the same tally, the Senate adopted a related resolution directing the State Civil Service Commission to prepare for nuclear energy.
To build on that foundation, Senate Bill 198 would establish the Kentucky Nuclear Development Authority. The center will be housed at the University of Kentucky’s Center for Applied Energy Research and will be managed by an advisory board whose members represent a variety of stakeholder groups.
The authority will be a non-regulatory agency dealing with issues related to nuclear energy and its development in Kentucky. It would also support the development of a “nuclear energy ecosystem” aimed at strengthening the economy, protecting the environment, supporting community voices and preparing the workforce of the future.
Kentucky Sen. Danny Carroll is seen speaking with reporters on February 20, 2024 in Frankfort, Kentucky. On February 26, 2024, the Kentucky Senate overwhelmingly approved Carroll’s bill to bring nuclear energy projects to Kentucky. Coal mining. (AP Photo/Bruce Schreiner, File)
The bill would initiate a siting study to identify the best candidate site for a nuclear reactor and related facilities. Authorities plan to set criteria for voluntary designation as a “nuclear preparedness community.” Such a designation would signal to the nuclear industry that “these communities are open to nuclear power, whether it’s reactors or related industries,” Carroll said.
An accompanying resolution urges the Civil Service Commission to “make sure that when the first license request comes, we don’t have to scramble for six months to a year to figure out how to handle that particular license. requires consideration of all aspects of the It’s the situation,” Carroll said.
The nuclear bill passed the Senate with little debate. This is the result of last year’s legislative action that created the Nuclear Energy Working Group.
Democratic Sen. Robin Webb on Monday pointed to the coal connection and changing times. Although she describes herself as a “former coal miner, she never thought she would be on the Atomic Energy Select Committee,” she said. Webb also said the state will need to adopt a diversified energy portfolio for years to come.
Carroll, who has advocated for years for the acceptance of nuclear energy, said Monday that his bill was not intended to marginalize other energy sources, including coal.
“I don’t want anyone to be misled or think that this bill is in any way criticizing coal, natural gas, renewables, or any of the other energy sources that we use at this time,” he said. said.
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Kentucky’s coal industry has declined significantly over the past two decades, with the state producing about a quarter of the coal it mined 20 years ago.
But the state still generates about 68% of its electricity from coal, a number that is at historic lows as the power generation industry shuts down coal-fired power plants and switches to cheaper natural gas-fired generators. This has decreased from about 90%.
Nuclear power is new territory for Kentucky, but neighboring states like Illinois and Tennessee have had reactors for decades. Tennessee’s two nuclear reactors provided about 45% of the state’s electricity generation in 2022, according to the Energy Information Administration.
